


A Trainer's Epoch

by DragonFelicis



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon - Anime, Canon Characters Make Occasional Appearances, Drama, Emphasis on Characters, Headcanon, Humor, Non-Linear Narrative, Original Character-centric, Original Pokemon Trainer - Freeform, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, POV Original Character, Pokemon Battle, Pokemon Violence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Predominantly the Anime World, Sort Of, Talking Pokemon, The Occasional Pokemon Creepypasta Showing Up., With my own elements mixed in
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-06-07 16:25:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 81,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15223085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonFelicis/pseuds/DragonFelicis
Summary: Telling the good times. The bad times. The fun times. The sad times. The scary times. The awesome times. The embarrassing times. Even the lax times. Felix has travelled the world and has many adventures to show. Story presented in third person and in a non-linear fashion.





	1. Felix Get's Punched

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to A Trainers Epoch and I hope to present a slightly different format of this story than you may have seen before. As said in the summary, this fanfiction follows no linear format. Well, the first two chapters do, but after that when and where the chapter takes place will be different. Sometimes we'll be in a new region, sometimes the same but forwards or backwards from the chapter we left.
> 
> Will this be confusing? Probably a bit at first, but I do intend on making it as clear and easy to understand what is happening in every chapter as possible.
> 
> Does this ruin the adventure? Seeing the trainer start and grow and fail and achieve? Hopefully not. I've tried to write this story before, more times than I'd like to admit, and I kept running into the same problem. It wasn't that I'd lose interest, no, but the slog of the adventure format wore at me. We've seen the Pokémon Adventure© story a thousand times over, kid gets pokémon, kid gets more pokémon, kid does this and that, and wins. The end.
> 
> It has been done well, in times been and I'm sure in times to come as well, but we've all experienced that story often in the same way, just with changes in characters. So, I thought to try something I haven't seen much of.
> 
> In my view, part of what makes a story worth reading isn't wondering IF the protagonists will get through the newest challenge (Because in majority of cases you can be confident that they will) but HOW they get through. I can keep that magic with this story, I think, and so here we are.
> 
> I did not intend on this author note to go on this long, I'll probably shorten it. So, if it is THIS long to you now, imagine how long it was to start with!
> 
> One last thing, I use italics in quotation marks to show thought.
> 
> Alrighty then, let's get this show on the road.

_Location – Sinnoh Five Years Before Start of Journey._

_Solaceon Town Primary School._

Felix sat at his uncomfortable desk with a frown of concentration.

He would fidget this way, or that way, but no matter what he couldn't get comfortable. There was an odd weight in the back of his head, and a knot of muscles in his neck. Rubbing his neck didn't help, and the one time leaning to one side helped, he fell out of his chair.

The muffled giggles and concerned eyes of Miss Sandy were not worth the brief reprieve from the strange feeling, so he endeavoured to endure it.

Six-year-olds were not known for their capacity for patience or temperance and he found himself feeling only weirder.

Miss Sandy had observed his twitchy movements for a few minutes now, seeing Felix squirm and look overall very uncomfortable. She was concerned but didn't want to call him out in front of the class and so taught on until she could safely pause.

"Okay everyone, pencils down." She smiled as everyone dropped their pencils, some kids so quickly they could be forgiven for thinking their pencils were seviper. "You've all been so good today, we'll have free time ten minutes early today!"

There was a cheerful exclaim of delight in this and the kids all vacated their seats with varying levels of swiftness. Many going for the back of the room, where the toys laid, others mobbing into groups to talk everything related to pokémon.

Felix stood too, smiling at the fact that he no longer had to write the letter F down repeatedly. Before he could dash off to get into some form of trouble, Miss Sandy swooped down on him.

"You are getting very good at your writing," she complimented, looking down at his work. Felix appeared to have gotten bored at one point and started writing F's in extra loopy and fancy ways. None were very near, but far more legible than it had once been.

"Thank you, Miss Sandy," Felix mumbled, staring down at his feet. She refrained from making any sort of embarrassing coo's. Felix had been bashful since he stepped foot in her class.

Lowering her volume slightly, so Felix would be the only one to hear, Miss Sandy said. "I noticed you seemed very uncomfortable in class a few minutes ago, is anything the matter?" She knew it was a delicate process to approach a child about any discomfort they may have. Often, they would either overblow the issue or downplay it, but most were embarrassed either way.

"I'm alright," Felix replied, beginning to fidget again. One hand was clenched in his pocket and Miss Sandy decided to trust him.

"Come to my desk, I have a hall pass for you," she said, still lowly, and led Felix away from the crowd. He gave her a puzzled expression at the statement but followed dutifully anyway.

"You may go to the restroom now," she said, giving her young student a soft smile. Felix began to go red and he made an embarrassed squeak, he was sure he didn't have to go.

Felix stared down at the hall pass for a second before deciding a ticket out of class was worth taking, and he'd even walk to the bathrooms anyway. He was sure that wasn't the problem but going outside seemed to be a terrific way to figure it out.

Miss Sandy watched him scuttle out with a smile, Felix was a good kid and she knew he wouldn't get into trouble with the hall pass. Turning her gaze back on the classroom, she mentally tracked those she had an inkling would get into mischief if given the opportunity.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

Felix splashed some water on his face, enjoying the coolness of it against his skin. He continued flicking his fingers, sending droplets of water against his face, even as he left the restroom. The Solaceon Town Primary School was a relatively small one, and only had two sets of restrooms for the students, one for boys and one for girls.

There were rumours of a teacher's restroom, but anyone who knew anything knew that teachers didn't need to go to the restroom.

The water was nice, but it didn't help. Walking around helped a little, though, so Felix decided to wander for a bit. He enjoyed wandering, pacing, exploring the edges of the school, it gave him time to think, to imagine. There weren't many things he enjoyed more than just imagining epic stories and adventures all in his head, and walking helped that along.

Reasoning that he was given a hall pass, and free time meant freedom, Felix didn't walk back to class. Once this class was done, it was recess anyway, so he was confident to go for a walk.

Felix put his mind towards his most recent fantasy, him being the Super Trainer of Bismark. What Bismark was he wasn't sure, it just sounded cool.

"Bismark!" he shouted, doing an air kick. It was fun for a moment, but the trappings of lala land left him and Felix found himself unable to float back.

It was all very odd.

Felix rubbed the back of his neck as he walked on; the knot was only getting worse and his head was feeling extra funny. He thought he had heard some voices too, but looking around he only saw empty play area, empty benches, empty pavement leading to the classrooms that had people in them. The only other things around were a pair of starly, but one flew off.

"-rly rube."

 _"There it was again!"_  Felix thought, head darting back and forth, looking for the source of the voice. Still, there was just a starly.

"What?" Felix growled, suddenly feeling unusually irritated. Marching up to the tree the starly roosted in he pointed an accusing finger up at it. "Was it YOU who talked?"

He laughed and turned to march off when he heard the voice again. "Sta, arly ly, yes. I wasn't startar ly you though."

Felix froze before slowly turning back to look up to where the little bird pokémon was staring down at him. "What?"

"Star."

"What?"

"Ly."

"WHAT?"

"Star, star! Ly!" The starly ruffled its wings before taking off, a single feather drifting down to fall on Felix's nose.

He blinked and jerked back as the feather tickled him. Rubbing the itch off his nose, he grabbed the feather and looked it over.

"It's totally a normal starly feather," he said. "From a totally normal starly. That's it."

Thoroughly unnerved at the event of the, partially, speaking starly Felix decided to go back to class. On his way he thought about telling Miss Sandy.  _"She'd probably think I am nuts and have me locked up!"_

Deciding that the reasonable authority figure was not the way to go, he considered further options.  _"What about Angie? Her family has the care place for pokémon, she always says she knows everything about pokémon, maybe she knows something about talking starly?"_

It wouldn't be long until recess and he'd be able to ask her in private too. Pleased with this new plan, Felix marched forward, unconsciously pocketing the starly feather.

"-lp."

He resolutely ignored that.

"-elp."

Whistling, or at least trying to, a jaunty tune, Felix blocked out all things of this new, unfavourable reality.

"Help me."

Hearing voices was crazy right? Well Felix decided it was responding to the voices that made your crazy, for all he knew everyone heard voices.

"Please."

Curse bad fortune for putting him right where he was, Felix tried to remember if he had seen a honchkrow lately or not.

Felix wasn't one for swearing, Miss Norrie disallowed such things at home, but as he burst out running he was inwardly thinking up every swear word he could. He got as far as shit before stopping, fearful that Miss Norrie would know regardless. She always knew.

"Who needs help?" He asked aloud, but no one responded.

He couldn't not do something when someone said please, not in that tiny desperate way he had just heard. Felix wasn't sure where he was running, but the feeling in the back of his head was getting stronger and he was utterly terrified.

 _"Who's asking for help?"_  He thought, wondering if maybe since he was hearing it in his head, they would hear him if he thought it back. No response.

As he was already running towards, he hoped, the source of the words the thought of stopping was what terrified him, and he ran faster than his six-year-old legs had ever before. Up towards the back of the score, past the basketball courts, past the storeroom, up to and including the fence that was there to stop stray pokémon from getting in and damaging things.

The fence was what finally forced him to stop and Felix gasped for breath, feeling his heart pump rapidly in ways that were no way in relation to that bout of extreme running he had just done.

He was terrified, and he had no idea why. Thinking about why he was scared was a bad idea, as his mind immediately went to how disappointed Miss Sandy would be in him for running to the edge of school, then how disappointed Miss Norrie would be in him for doing so.

The sheer panic that gripped him then nearly caused him to run all the way back, he was already down the slope before he heard the voice again.

"help."

It was both louder, and weaker. He was close, but whoever was talking was losing strength.

"Are you there?"

Overpowering the fear of disappointing authority figures with the need to give all the help this voice was asking for, he ran back to the fence. He curled his fingers into the wire and began to walk, feeling the metal pull at his fingers but giving him something to grip when his mind ran away from him again.

Following the fence led him to one of the corners of the school. An area technically out of bounds as it was too far to be monitored. There was rubbish here, bits of graffiti one some rather smashed stone blocks.

Felix stepped cautiously, the feeling was so powerful here, his head buzzed but his neck had stopped feeling strange.

He kicked a can out of the way and suddenly, everything stopped.

Blinking mutely, Felix was nearly bowled over by the sudden withdrawal of the panic, the need to help, more of the panic, and was left almost confused. He remembered everything up to this point, but almost like it had happened to someone other than him.

Had he been older, he may have wondered what kind of creature would lead him so far out of the way, alone, and ran for it. As a child of six years, he was only more curious and continued on.

There wasn't far to go, and the land was relatively flat. Right at the end, there was a hole in the fence. It was too tiny for him to squeeze through, but the hole was not what captured his attention.

A bundle of old wire, too tangled to be useful to anything and dumped in this forgotten corner, had ensnared a pokémon.

It had blue fur all over it, besides its abdomen, back legs, mask-like feature on its face and two odd tassels that hung down each side of its head.

And two red eyes, narrowed in a glare the likes of which Felix had never seen.

"LU RI!" It shouted, fury emanating off it. Felix himself felt his emotions grow angry before he realised the pokémon was trapped.

Both its paws and one leg were fine, but the last foot was trapped tightly within the tangle of wire and it seemed unable to get out.

"Are you okay?" He asked, stepping forward, only for the pokémon to take a swipe at him. It was nowhere close to being in range, but the warning was there, and he heeded it.

"Do you need help?" Felix didn't step any closer, not did he back away. "I can go find my teacher, she'll know what to do." He turned to run back to class, only to be stricken with a level of fear so intense he staggered and fell to the ground, curling up in a foetal position before remembering himself.

"Ow," Felix moaned, he had scraped his arm on the ground. He pushed himself back to his feet and looked back at the pokémon, it was shivering, and its eyes were flicking between overwhelming anger and crippling terror.

The idea of leaving this thing, when it didn't know he was coming back, stumped Felix. "I'll be back," he tried, deducting that him leaving was what made it so scared. "But I'll be back, and I'll bring more people, people who will know what to do with you!" He smiled to cap it all off.

His smile froze and then shattered, the pokémon had begun to cry, tears collecting in its red eyes before spilling down. It was completely still now, the fear preventing even shakes.

"Hey, hey," he skittered forward, feeling absolutely terrible for the scared pokémon. "It's alright, you're gonna be, OW!"

Felix had stepped too close, too eager to prove that it would be fine, too hopeful that he could soothe the pokémon and it had swiped out, punching him in the stomach with the strength of a Fighting type pokémon and knocking him back with a cry of pain.

Felix coughed twice and nearly wretched. He was stunned silent for a moment, the hit hurt, yes, but the sheer fact he had been hit paused him. Once it all sunk in he wheezed and rolled over onto his front. "YOU'RE TERRIBLE!" He shouted back at the pokémon, not seeing it clearly with the angry, and hurt, tears clouding his eyes.

Felix ran off, trying to stem the sobs. He couldn't stand the thought of being hit, he was only six years old.

He collected himself before he reached the populated school yards, recess had started, and kids were eating their morning snack and playing around.

Felix rubbed his face, trying to hide the fact he had been crying, and ignored the offers to play from everyone. He avoided Angie, she would make him talk if she saw him, and just found a place to sit and wait out the rest of the day.

He didn't tell anyone about the pokémon he had found, he was too angry at it.

 _"I was just trying to help, and it attacked me for no reason!"_  He growled to himself, mood becoming steadily filthier. If Miss Sandy noticed, she didn't say anything, perhaps being too busy containing the terror trio from wreaking havoc during art class.

He painted things with dark reds, blacks, and other colours he thought were angry and once lunch came he stomped off to be alone again. Angie tried only once to talk to him, and once it was clear he was in a bad mood she did the wise thing and gave him some space.

As angry as Felix was, a part of him was feeling bad. That part was mostly his stomach, the pokémon hit him hard enough to bruise, but also his conscience.

The pokémon had been scared, and probably in a lot of pain. He knew how uncomfortable it could get when you were stuck, it still caused shivers just to think about the times Daisy, Liam and Sean trapped him under his covers. Not being able to get out, to move his legs as he had Daisy sitting on them.

Finding the school's outside clock, Felix learned he still had ten minutes of lunch time. There was no time to go and find anyone else, and he knew once class started no teacher would dare risk not be there on time. Resolute that he had to do this alone, he ran back to where the pokémon was trapped.

It was still there.

He knew that well before he saw it. Just approaching the hill left a sour feeling in his mouth and explained why no one was playing around anyone near here, only he seemed to know what it was though, and Felix pushed forwards.

He called out before he could see the pokémon, hoping to soothe it with the knowledge it was just him. "Hey, uh… pokémon. I'm back."

He stepped into view and was disappointed with the response. The pokémon seemed no happier to see him back, even began snarling again.

 _"It has very sharp teeth."_  He noted and stepped more gingerly.

"I've got about five minutes before class," he said, holding his hands out. His pokémon classes suggested to let the creatures see your hands. Letting them see you had nothing hiding was meant to put them at ease.  _"Was it the front or back of my hands?"_  He wondered and decided to flip one hand around, so it was both, just in case.

Happy that he had remembered how to make a pokémon relax around you, Felix stepped forwards with new confidence. "I think I can get you out of that, I'll just untangle you with my hands! Look, you can see both of them!" He smiled, showing perhaps ten-too-many teeth. The pokémon had stopped shivering, and Felix stepped right up to it again.

He stared down at it, hoping it'd just remain still and everything would be fine. Bending down for a better reach he said. "Okay, just stay still and I'll get you-"

The pokémon punched him. Again.

This time right into his chin, knocking his head back with a rather loud crack and sending him onto his back. He hit his head on the ground and falling onto the ground knocked the air out of his lungs.

"RI!" The pokémon snarled. "OLU," it continued. "NOW LEAVE!"

Felix didn't register that he had heard actual words that time, he simply picked himself up and ran away. His teeth hurt, having been rattled by the hit, his chin hurt, his head hurt, his feelings were hurt.

He didn't let himself cry again, tears welled up in his eyes, but Felix did not let any sobs spasm in his chest. He ran back to class, ducked himself in his corner spot and glued his eyes to the book.

The last words he let himself think about the pokémon were mean ones, cruel ones, ones best imagined by a child who had been attacked when they thought they were only trying to help.

_"If it wants to stay there, it can stay there forever!"_

Scratching a hole into his writing book, Felix decided he hated the pokémon and would leave it there without telling anyone about it.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

Felix laid awake in his bed.

It was not fair, he decided, his stomach hurt, his chin hurt even more, and he couldn't even sleep because of that mean creature.

Miss Norrie had asked about his chin three seconds after stepping in the door, he pretended he didn't hear her. A mistake. She asked again, the note of warning in her voice that he hated to hear. Despite the overwhelming need to speak the truth, Felix had stuck true to his decision not to tell anyone about the pokémon and claimed he had knocked his chin when playing on the mankey bars at school.

Miss Norrie gave him that look, the one where she recognised the potential truth of the statement but wasn't sure but let him go on without any further interruptions.

Dinner had been a quiet affair. Daisy was as loud as always, Liam and Sean flicked peas at one another until Miss Norrie asked them to stop. Miss Norrie was their foster carer and had dealt with many children during her time as a foster carer, she knew how to break up fights and instil some discipline in the children.

She was a perfectly adequate carer, but she made it clear she was no one's mother. They treated her with respect, and if they behaved she would allow privileges in turn.

Despite Miss Norrie being the only carer Felix had known, he didn't see fit to tell her the truth of his chin, nor show her the bruise on his stomach. He had still been too upset.

Now, lying in bed and unable to sleep, he could think of nothing more than that pokémon.

"That mean, nasty, jerk of a pokémon," he mumbled into his pillow. Tossing and turning failed to find any comfortable position and Felix sighed, sitting up.

It wasn't just the pokémon, it was its eyes. It had been so scared. He didn't know why, Felix was sure he wasn't scary, but it had been.

It was stuck too. Badly. He had ignored it the second time, but Felix was pretty sure he had seen some blood around where the wires were trapping its foot.

He remembered how Miss Norrie would fuss over them if they got a scratch, putting the stinging solution on and telling them not to cry over the pain, that it had to be done or the cut would make them sick.

Felix didn't know much about it all, but Miss Norrie never fussed over much.

Feeling guiltier he dangled his legs over the edge of his bed and stood up. He creeped out the room and into the hallway, where he had to be even more silent. He was the eldest, and so was lucky enough to have his own room, but the floor was creaky, and the other kids would wake up at the slightest noise.

Felix creeped his way to the kitchen, hoping to find Miss Norrie still awake. To no avail. She wasn't in the lounge room either. She must be in bed.

Biting his lip, Felix considered his options.  _"I could wake Miss Norrie up…"_  that idea held ramifications. You were not to wake Miss Norrie up for anything below an emergency. He had woken her up during a storm when he thought the house was going to fall down, which had been a considerably large mistake.

His other option was to go back to bed.

He looked back to his room with a mournful expression, sleep was not going to come tonight, and he was already up, it felt like he had already slept and going back to bed would just be uncomfortable.

 _"What if I…"_  Felix walked back to the kitchen and looked in the cupboards. It only took three tries and balancing on his toes before he found the scissors. They were strong ones, larger than his hand but very sharp. Miss Norrie used them to cut pieces of wire she made into coat hangers, and other objects, and Felix was sure they would be capable of cutting other wire.

The last thing to gather was a flashlight, one that was low on batteries and so old it barely lit up two meters in front of him. But it was the best he had.

Pulling his shoes on, Felix remained in his pyjamas. It was night, he was sure no one would see him.

His heart pounded as he ran back to school. He had never been to the school when school wasn't on, and the place was creepy in the dark. The whole town was creepy in the dark, mutterings and whispers were heard all over.

He comforted himself with the thought that they were all in his head, just like the voice of the pokémon he was going back to save.

Trying not to think of  _that_  Felix blindly groped his way to where the pokémon lay trapped. He was shivering, it was often cold in Sinnoh and while his pyjamas were good, they weren't good enough for the outside at night.

He was just happy, for the first time in his life, that Miss Norrie lived close to the school. It had taken him a mere ten minutes to run there and another five to make his way to the back of the school.

"Hey?" He whispered. He wasn't sure why, it just seemed appropriate to whisper during the night, even if no one else was around to hear you.

"Ri…" he heard a weak whimper return his call. "Ri ol lu come back?"

The torch illuminated, as best it could, the sorry state the pokémon was in. Its fur was matted, it was skinny, its eyes were bloodshot and actual blood had dried all along the wire, yet fresh blood still oozed as the pokémon desperately dragged itself forward. It wasn't in the literal corner of the school anymore, it had almost reached the hill now, having dragged itself by its arms, pulling the entire spool of tangled wire along.

"I'm here to help," he explained, lowering himself to his knees, and then further onto his behind, staring much more equally into the pokémon's eyes. "Please let me help."

The pokémon stared at him in silence for a painfully long moment. The rage in its eyes had burnt out, it had no tears left to cry, there was just a deep sorrow along with the dimly flickering embers of defiance. The pokémon had nearly given up.

"Okay," it said, and Felix smiled. With much less terror in its voice Felix could hear a feminine tone to her voice.

"You won't hit me again?" He had to be sure.

"No."

He came forward slowly, carefully, just in case she changed her mind. He was sure of that, that this pokémon was a girl, he didn't notice it before, but her words were making sense and it kind of reminded him of Angie.

He brought the scissors up and the pokémon cringed, closing its eyes. Felix was as careful as he could be. With the dexterity of a six-year-old that wasn't perfect, but he managed to snip some wires.

It was difficult, even though the wires were old, and the scissors were strong, he was not used to using his muscles like this. Slowly, but surely, he began to make headway, breaking through the tangle.

He got down to the last bits of wire, looking around for somewhere he could cut. The pokémon had struggled so much the wire had cut deep into her flesh and with the dim light and dark area he could barely see where the wire began. He felt the pokémon shiver besides him and felt a bead of fear slip into his gut as well.

Moving faster he pushed the pokémon slightly, unmindful of actually touching it, and manoeuvred her until he found something he could cut.

Five snips later and he was able to pull her free. The pokémon hissed in pain as the wire was pulled out of the wound in her leg, taking dried blood and opening it up to bleed again.

Felix smiled at it but the pokémon did not smile back. She shoved him, softly, but enough to cause him to lose his balance and ran off.

Or at least, tried to.

Whimpering in pain, the pokémon fell several times, before trying to drag itself off. Felix picked himself up, not bothered by the weak assault, and walked over to the pokémon.

"Hey," he started and the pokémon moaned. "I can take you to my house, it's close by and I can give you some dis… disfectant. Dissifectant. Um, medicine for your leg so you'll get better."

The pokémon stopped trying to drag itself off and looked back at him, distrust evident in its eyes even to him. "Why?"

"You're hurt," he replied, unbothered with the thought of talking too a pokémon. There would be time for that later, and he was still half-convinced he was just hearing voices.

"I…" the pokémon hesitated before a distant sound caused her to freeze up, Felix barely registered it but whatever happened seemed to make up her mind. "A-alright. Lead the way."

Felix grinned broadly and began to march, but he quickly found that the pokémon couldn't keep up with him. It was too cold to walk slowly, so he thought of a better solution.

He picked her up.

"Unhand me iolu!" She snarled, Felix failing to understand the last word. For the best, that was.

"We're going to my house anyway," he argued back. "And it'd be so much faster, and warmer, if I just carried you. You're real light anyway." He grinned again and the pokémon seemed to wilt.

"Have it your way then," she muttered, shivering as another howl echoed through the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awe, wasn't that the cutest first meeting ever?
> 
> It had blood, pain, assault and crippling terror!
> 
> That is what cute is, right?
> 
> Anyway, the next chapter will lead on from this in a way. It's the closest thing I have planned to linear storytelling here, as I think it is important to still set up the two characters we'll be seeing the most of throughout this collection of stories.


	2. Felix Meets Cynthia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this, and future, author notes won't be as long as the first. That one… oof. Sorry about that, if you've come this far at least.
> 
> So, my plan to mitigate the confusion as best I can, is to put down the date, Felix's age and the location. And also depending on the when, how many pokémon that are on hand and how many badges.
> 
> But, as I said before, chapter one and two are the closest to a proper line that I have planned, I may have a chapter or two set between this one and the previous, but don't count on that happening any time soon.

_Location – Sinnoh Four Years Before Start of Journey._

_Age 7._

_Solaceon Town._

It was quiet.

Not an overbearing quiet, a soft, comfortable lull in activity.

People were up and about, the town never rests, but most were still in their beds.

Felix smiled as he shifted in bed, he was warm, and he was comfortable. There was the familiar weight against his side, a small blue pokémon curled up on the top of his bed but had still pulled his blanket up to wrap around her.

His smile grew wider as he properly woke up, the excitement of the dream fading and leaving behind an overall feeling of happiness. Cracking his eyes open, he yawned and rubbed at the stickiness that was his eyes in the morning.

"IT'S MORNING!" He suddenly shouting, scaring his companion and causing her to leap off the bed with a shout. Or at least try, she was too tangled in the blankets and ended up slumping over his legs and then off the bed.

"Why?" The only response the pokémon could formulate. The idea of kicking the human occurred immediately after.

"Because it is," Felix replied, swinging his legs off the bed to join her. "And you know what that means?"

"That we should be sleeping?" she growled back.

"It means it's the holidays!"

The pokémon gave him an unimpressed look and jumped back on the bed. "Goodnight."

Felix pouted and hovered over the bed, poking at the pokémon to try and get her to react. "Come on Keira," he whined, poking more. "After my ten chores we can go out and do whatever we want!"

"Exactly. Your chores," Keira muttered back, already going back to sleep. "Meaning that I get to sleep more." He went to poke her. "Don't poke the ursaring, or the ursaring will poke you. Hard."

"You're not an ursaring," Felix said.

"Point still stands. Now, shh."

Felix got the message, laughed, and scampered out of the room.

It had been over a year since he had found a scared riolu stuck in a bundle of wires at his schoolhouse. Their beginning may have been rocky, and fraught with bruises, but Felix had fulfilled on all the promises he made to her, and she had stuck around.

Handling Keira was rather difficult at first.

Sneaking out of the house was not as successful as he had thought. One the other kids had woken up and found out he was missing, quickly alerting Miss Norrie of his disappearance.

His caretaker was mere moments away from calling into the local police before he returned and had not been happy.

Felix was sure the only thing stopping him from getting a spanking was the fact he had a bleeding pokémon in his arms.

A quick cleaning and bandage was the best they could do for the riolu, and Miss Norrie took the riolu to a Pokémon Centre as soon as possible the next day.

Needless to say, she did not intend on letting Felix keep her.

"Taking care of a pokémon is an enormous responsibility!" Miss Norrie's voice had been soft and stern. "And you are too young for such a burden on your shoulders, Felix. I'm sorry, but my answer is no."

Felix had been silent after her statement. Dozens of expressions flashed over his face as he scrambled for any words to convince his caretaker. His expressions nearly settled on an angry pout, but relaxed into a less childish expression. "What can I do?" He had asked. "Anything, I'll do whatever you want to prove I can be responsee... responso... respons... that one!"

It was only when he argued back, asking to prove himself, did the possibility become real.

Miss Norrie was hopeful he'd never realise, but it was due to his arguments that she entertained the idea. He never argued. He may have acted lazy in the face of chores, pleaded or sulked if he didn't get something he wanted, but he never argued.

Miss Norrie agreed to give him a chance to prove himself, and Felix took that chance.

She set up a chores rotation that he had to do to the best of his ability, unless sick or injured, without any prompting or reminding.

Felix delivered on his promises and after two weeks of perfect behaviour and responsibility, she told Nurse Joy the decision had been made and they would be taking the riolu home with them.

Felix was delighted. Miss Norrie had never seen him so happy and a part of her was happy for him. Felix continued on his promise, and never missed a chore.

He named the riolu Keira and the two were as thick as thieves.

Felix had impressed Miss Norrie, not that she'd ever tell him that in such direct words, and Keira had adapted well to being in the care of a human.

The first thing Felix had to do after getting the chance to have her, was work enough pocket money to buy a pokéball. Not the most difficult task, even convincing Keira to accept it wasn't difficult, what had been difficult was getting her to stay in it.

Such a battle was quickly lost, and Keira traipsed about, almost as smug as Miss Norrie's glameow. But none were as smug as Ellouise and the riolu and glameow clashed often.

"Keira?" Felix called, an hour later. He finished doing the dishes, sweeping the floor, cleaning the loungeroom, cleaning the bathroom, washing down the shower, scrubbing the toilet, gathering up the dry laundry, folding the dried laundry, placing dirty laundry in the washing machine and neatening up his bedroom.

After a year of this there was relatively little work for him to do, as the chores had to be done each day, simply multiple different tasks. He didn't enjoy it, but if it let him have Keira than he'd continue doing it.

Keira had pretended to continue sleeping even as he made his bed, with her under the covers, but eventually wriggled her way out. "And to think," she sighed as she stretched. "I was having such a wonderful dream."

Felix giggled and pulled her along. "Come on, I want to play!"

Keira let herself be dragged along, while she didn't act it Felix knew that she did enjoy it, she just enjoyed being difficult.

"Glameow, already?" Ellouise called as they passed her, Felix stopped to wave, but continued running right after.

It'd been a year since the nonsensical sounds pokémon made began making sense to Felix. It was disorientating at the best of times, especially when among several different pokémon. Not everything made sense, so the constant flipping of random syllables and words he could understand led to a headache.

Keira was the only one who, almost entirely, always made sense to him. However, she often spoke with unnecessarily big words that he didn't understand in the first place, oftentimes making such clarity meaningless, but she refrained from it for his sake.

"Where are we going?" Keira asked as they raced along the streets of Solaceon Town.

"Dunno," Felix replied, not slowing down in the least. "Somewhere fun!"

"And where is that?"

"Everywhere!"

Keira laughed, Felix's mannerisms were endearing to her and his constant enthusiasm made it difficult to not join in sometimes.

Their favourite game was one Felix invented in his head, he called it Kena Kai Knives. When asked about the name, Felix shrugged and said it sounded cool to him.

The game was simple, they took up imaginary roles and played out imaginary battles. It was something that Keira did enjoy, it gave her ideas for potential strategies she could employ in a real battle, but it was genuinely fun to see what mad plans Felix could invent as well.

He'd never beaten her in their games but winning wasn't really the point.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

"Turbo Laser!" Felix yelled out, making loud laser-esc sounds and pretending to fire a beam of energy.

"I dodge!" Keira replied, doing a jump and a flip. Felix was not to be deterred, however, and he countered with.

"Lava Burst, now lava comes from the ground you land on."

"Protect! This stops all damage."

Their games were long and a back and forth of who could place the other in a situation they couldn't think their way out of.

"Now." Keira smirked. "I use Aura Snare, to freeze you in place for ten seconds."

"Oh no!" Felix cried and struggled against the imaginary bindings.

"I've got you with Force Palm, bam!"

Felix hesitated, but he couldn't think of an out and he pouted. "You win."

Keira laughed and smacked her paw into her palm. "Aura for the win."

"I'll figure you out one day!" Felix declared, smacking his own fist into his palm. "Then we'll see who's laughing."

Keira just chuckled.

They were both panting for breath, Felix more so, and Keira posed the question of what to do next.

"Not sure." Felix paused to catch his breath. "I'm thirsty."

"Me too, let's go to the Pokémon Centre."

It wasn't uncommon for Keira to wind up at the Pokémon Centre for one reason or another, she enjoyed getting into battles, more often than not outside of her league, and Felix wasn't experienced enough to hope to direct her properly in battle.

The nurses loved her though. She was the troublesome patient, never wanting to lie down and relax, caused endless grey hairs from Nurse Joy and constant cheerful threats from the chansey that were employed there.

She was never too harmed, though, so they still greeted Felix with a smile.

"Good afternoon," Nurse Joy called out from the front desk, Felix giving an energetic wave in response. "And how are you little Keira?"

"I won't tell you because you are part of the hivemind and wish to assimilate my brains," Keira replied, just as cheerfully. It had taken more than a few trips to the Pokémon Centre for Felix to catch himself before he laughed at what Keira said.

While she liked the Pokémon Centre for the healing, she seemed everlastingly distrustful of Nurse Joy, claiming they were all one minded and creepy. Felix hadn't seen many Nurse Joy's, so he didn't understand her paranoia.

Still, the way Keira enjoyed insulting others with a perfectly cheerful voice and pleasant expression, nearly killed Felix from having to hold in the laughter. He had learned not to try and tell anyone he could understand pokémon, such claims early on had only left him labelled as the 'weird kid' even worse than before.

"We were wondering if we could get a drink?" Felix asked Nurse Joy, giving his sweetest voice possible. It never failed.

"Oh, very well, no letting the sugar go to your heads alright?" Joy laughed, shaking her head. One of the chansey, upon seeing Keira undamaged, had already gone off to get the drinks. She couldn't approve of it in excess, being a nurse, but both Felix and Keira seemed to have a taste for pokécola.

She could understand Keira, the drink was designed with the tastes of pokémon in mind, but Felix's enjoyment of the drink was a less common occurrence. Still, it didn't have anything that'd harm them, in moderation, so she caved every now and then.

"Thanks Nurse Joy." Felix beamed as he and Keira ran off with the drinks, hoping to use the energy to play even more.

The drinks were good, but by the time they made it back to their designated private play place some other kids were already there. Not wanting to socialise, they ran off to find somewhere else.

But the full swing of the break from school seemed to have swung into effect and the children of Solaceon Town were all over the place.

Disappointed, Felix slunk back home, but that was even more boring, so he and Keira decided to see if they could find anyone participating in any battles.

Felix wasn't confident in any way of ordering Keira around in a battle, but he still enjoyed watching others.

They made their way to the market area of Solaceon Town, trainers most often found battle opponents there, and watched in wait for any signs of a battle about to be made.

It was a slow day, however, and the only interesting person was a woman who suffered over the choice of what ice cream to have for far too long.

She had been standing there for ten minutes by the time Keira nudged Felix, pulling his attention to her.

"But then there is the chocolate swirl," she said, brow furrowed in concentration. "At the same time the vanilla is always a strong point." She was even developing a crowd. "The boysenberry looks fascinating." There were even excited whispers breaking out, someone commented on the daring fashion choice the woman wore in her hair. They were like a lucario's tassels. "Then there is the mint chip, refreshing for a warm day like this."

She had a full belt of pokéball's and such a showing caught Felix's attention. Keira's, however, was on a different target.

"The bubble-gum looks delicious…"

"Excuse me?" Someone called, catching the woman's attention. "Are you Cynthia?"

The woman paused, seemingly weighing her options. "…yes."

And, within seconds, the marketplace erupted into a cacophony of voices.

"It is her!"

"Sinnoh's newest champion!"

"She destroyed the previous champion with her garchomp!"

"I love you Cynthia!"

"Can I have your autograph?"

"The youngest champion in history!"

"CYNTHIA!"

"Marry me Cynthia!"

The one thing preventing the newest champion on the global scene from being mobbed, was a flash of light and a separate loud growl. Cynthia's garchomp pulled herself out of her pokéball to defend her trainer, while a lucario Keira had her eyes on rushed to her side as well.

Warding the excited people off with a Bone Rush, Cynthia lucario gave the garchomp time to grab Cynthia and take off into the air, the lucario rapidly following, tracking them only with aura.

"Wow…" Felix was awed, he had heard of Cynthia, everyone in Sinnoh had at least heard of their newest champion. "That was awesome, did you see her pokémon Keira?" Felix looked down to the riolu.

Only. She wasn't there.

"Keira?" He blinked, looking right and left. A bead of panic slipped into his gut as Felix looked for his friend. "Keira?"

Keira was a riolu. It wasn't uncommon for people to be interested in her, sometimes a little more than he would have liked. Felix was relieved he technically didn't own Keira, Miss Norrie was the owner of Keira's pokéball as he was too young to be a trainer, but that didn't mean people didn't try and offer him trades.

The worry that in the excitement of the crowd, Keira may have been swept away, needled at his gut until he saw a flash of blue fur disappearing into the crowd. Following the direction Cynthia and her pokémon had gone.

Felix burst out running, pushing through the crowd and weaving through them with his smaller stature. He caught enough glimpses of Keira to keep him on the trail and soon she ducked in a completely different direction the rest of the crowd was stampeding towards.

Focused on Keira, not the champion, Felix followed her.

"Wait up!" He called, and Keira's ear flicked, she looked back to see Felix charging forward and slowed enough so he could catch up. "Where are you going?" He asked as he reached her.

"I want to talk to that lucario," Keira answered, before setting off with a blazing speed again. Felix groaned, he had energy but not as much as a Fighting type pokémon, before following on.

"But they went a WAY different direction," he shouted, doing his best to keep in sight of Keira.

"No, I'm certain that was a trick. This way."

They ran until they left Solaceon Town and entered the grassy plains, it was there they found Cynthia.

Panting and wheezing for breath, Felix staggered to a stop and let himself fall, slowly, into the grass. Keira had stopped as well, freezing up as three sets of eyes turned to her.

"Well." A cool, familiar, voice reached them. Familiar only in the ways of ice cream. "I'm impressed someone managed to follow."

"There is a riolu there," a gruff voice began to unfreeze Keira as Felix picked himself up. "So, it is not unfeasible."

Cynthia stepped forward, smiling pleasantly as Felix pulled himself to his feet. "Well met young trainer. Or…" she looked over him and realised he must be too young to even be a trainer. "Younger still."

"Hello." Felix managed, spitting grass out of his mouth and trying to wipe his trousers clean of grassy stains.

"Hello." Cynthia smiled back. "I am Cynthia, you may have already known that, but introductions are important."

"F-Felix," Felix stuttered and nearly swatted himself for it. "And this is Keira," he gestured down at the riolu, who was still staring at the lucario.

"A fine pokémon." Cynthia nodded, making Felix feel all bright and happy. "She seems quite healthy, even for one so young…"

"I take care of her!" Felix said, fearing anything untoward from Cynthia. "I do ten chores a day to prove I am respon… response… respoe…"

"Responsible," Keira corrected, and Felix nodded quickly.

"Right, responsible!"

Felix missed the twitch in the smile Cynthia wore and beamed as Cynthia looked back to Keira.

"I see," she said, briskly. "Perhaps she has a question for Orion?"

The lucario stepped forward, prompted with his name, and sat down before Keira. "You have trailed us here little one," he said, roaming his eyes over Keira, then Felix. "Speak as you will, you deserve nothing less."

Keira hesitated, glancing back at Felix with a conflicted expression in her eyes. Felix nodded to her, giving her the go ahead for any concerns she may have had with anything about him, but it didn't seem to help.

Orion caught on, however, and the slightest twitch of his tassels had Cynthia pull Felix aside. "You must have some questions too?" She asked, smiling again. "Go ahead, we'll make a stroll of it."

Felix flushed a little, gave Keira a beaming smile, and walked off with Cynthia. He had so many questions to ask, all bubbling to the surface at once, that he didn't know which to ask first.

Cynthia seemed to realise his issue and spoke instead. "Perhaps we make a game of it? I ask you a question, you ask me one, and we continue until the stroll is finished?"

Felix nodded, and Cynthia started. "You live in Solaceon Town?"

"Yep." Felix found his tongue again. "I live with Miss Norrie and my foster brothers and sister. Oh, also Elly and Keira too!"

Cynthia nodded, and Felix asked a question of his own. "What's your coolest pokémon?"

Cynthia laughed, but fortunately it was not a teasing laugh. "That is a question I ask myself every day, and if you were to ask my pokémon each would give you a different answer."

Felix grinned, sounded like Keira to him, and Cynthia took her turn. "What is your coolest pokémon?"

"Keira for sure!" Felix replied, beaming. "She's my only pokémon though, but I bet even in the future she'll always be the coolest! Who's your favourite pokémon?"

"I cannot answer that." Cynthia shook her head, Felix frowned.

"Why not?"

"Because I love them all, I don't favour any over the others, that would be an unkindness as a trainer. I believe it is unfair to choose favourites as all my pokémon play an important role, and I care for them all. I am sure a majority of trainers would think of their starter, beginning a journey together lends a lot of love there, but all pokémon should be treated with love and care" Felix nodded slowly, he didn't completely get it, but he knew he loved Elly as well as Keira. "They are the reason why the world is so beautiful to live on, and why new adventures are always possible. Do you want to become a trainer?"

"Definitely." Felix nodded, smile remaining but a more resolute glint in his eyes now. "I might even battle you one day!"

Cynthia smiled, but didn't laugh.

"How can I be as strong as you are?" Their stroll was already coming to a close, Cynthia not drifting too far from Gloria the garchomp or Orion the lucario.

"Many would say to train hard," Cynthia replied, looking askance. "To always train, train, train. Fewer would say to work hard, this means that you as a trainer should train yourself, even if not in the same way as your pokémon."

"What would you say?"

An approving expression covered Cynthia's face at the question and she looked right at Felix. "Never give up. Always treat your pokémon as you would want to be treated. And work hard of course!" Her expression turned less serious, but still pleasant, and Felix nodded, taking in the words of the champion. "The first is most important if you wish to be a powerful trainer," Cynthia continued, becoming more somber. "The third is most important if you with to be a great trainer. But the second is the most important if you want to be a good trainer."

"What's the difference?"

"That's for you to figure out." A trickster's grin adorned Cynthia's face and she patted him on the shoulder. "Take care Felix. I hope to battle you one day."

Keira and Orion had finished whatever conversation they were having, and Gloria swooped in, snatching Cynthia right as she lifted her hand from his shoulder. Orion rolled his eyes at the dramatics and bowed to Keira, before racing off, following their flight by ground and sense.

As Keira turned to Felix, she raised an eyebrow at his wide smile. "You seem delighted."

"That was the CHAMPION!" He screamed and jumped many times in place. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! AH!" He flopped to the ground and laughed, Keira cackling at his antics and jumping on him.

The day had been a good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cynthia! She's probably the coolest champion, I decided I wanted her to come to Solaceon Town not long after she took the championship title, coming to the place to get a breath of fresh air from all the publicity, and maybe even look into the ruins that are close by.
> 
> I do plan on showing what went on right after Felix returned with Keira, but that was not to be this chapter. A future one, where we will get a much more in-depth look at how he convinced Miss Norrie that he could handle a pokémon, will be made.


	3. Beachfront Relaxation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the first two chapters, not much of a gap between them. There are events there that happened, that I will show in a later chapter, but for the moment we are hitting our first massive jump.
> 
> To give a bit of perspective, this is largely set in the anime world with plenty of my own head-canons, from the manga and games, along with other tweaks.
> 
> So, Felix grew up in Sinnoh, but he didn't begin his journey in his home region. He began in Kanto and his journey follows the line of regions as they are introduced.

_Location – Orange Islands, A Little Over 1 Year After Beginning Journey._

_Age 12._

_Kinnow Island – Beachfront._

Felix let out a pleased sigh as he stretched, resting on a towel. The sand was a little uncomfortable, but the warmth of the sun's rays was pleasant.

His pokémon were all out and about, he could hear the distant splashing of water games over the sweep of the ocean.

They were probably getting into mischief, but the island was uninhabited, by humans at least, and he was far too relaxed to care.

Dozing off, Felix's last thought was that the vacation was worth it.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

Keira enjoyed swimming.

It was something her trainer did NOT enjoy, he flounders like a magikarp on land if he is in any body of water, but any excuse to swim was an excuse she would take.

It was a wonderful thing, freeing, swimming. Cutting through the water with strokes of her arms, propelling herself with kicks of her legs, Keira would claim she was an expert in swimming.

As a riolu, at least.

As a lucario she sinks like a rock and thrashes in the water, just as bad as Felix.

"Perhaps we should try somewhere… shallower?" Emma offered, concern filling her voice as she pulled Keira up for the umpteenth time.

The lucario gagged and pounded her chest, coughing up some salt water, before shaking her head. "Never," she croaked, coughing again. "You know what they say: Jump right into the deep end."

"Who says that?" Emma asked, and Keira dove back down. To the popping bubbles she sighed and asked. "And why do they say it?"

Once Keira was beginning to drown again, the lapras used her Psychic attack to grab her and pull her back up.

"Dear, please," Emma tried again, setting the soggy lucario on her shell. "This is madness. Let us just go back to the shallows." She began to pump her fins, propelling them back in sight of land and safer waters.

The sound of a splash brought only another exhale of frustration from the lapras. She didn't need to look back to know, Keira had jumped off and was trying to swim again.

Trying.

Readying her Psychic, Emma prepared to pluck her wise and responsible leader from the depths. Again.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

Felix mumbled something in his sleep, sounding suspiciously like. "Banzai!" Then he muttered something about sleeping for ten thousand years.

Adrien rested his head on a sandbar, watching the fragile human rest. There was no one else around, the closest being the Little Aggressive One and Shelled Pacifist. They couldn't stop him, even if they came rushing. None of them could fly, not them, not Armoured Perversion, Fire Fluff or Razor Claw.

It would be too easy.

It was strange, that they'd leave the human unguarded. He was there, certainly, but the idea that the viewed him as a guard was unfathomable.

His tongue dabbed at his sharp teeth, perfect for ripping, tearing, for inflicting mortal wounds. His claws flexed, sharp and gripping, they too were perfect for the art of the hunt. Capturing, snaring, pulling prey from the safety of the ground and into his domain.

Like he had already done. To the Little Aggressive One and the fragile human.

Human.

Such a strange existence to Adrien's mind. Nothing like them had existed before, and yet despite lacking everything that made a pokémon a powerful being, they now ruled the world.

Tamed the world. And then made the mistake of bringing him back to the world.

It would be too easy, a snap of a jaw designed to end lives. A breath of Power, to inflict a wound a human couldn't withstand. No one could stop him. Did they even want to stop him? They had left their most dangerous adversary alone with the human they all cared for.

Care. What a strange word. What a strange meaning.

He could kill the human, finally, they were letting him.

So why didn't he want to?

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

"And that is how I, Brian, wiped the floor with that crazy pikachu!"

"Ooh." His thrilled company responded.

"Oh yes indeed." Brian thwapped a bone club into his hand. "He didn't stand a chance against my thick, hard bone."

"But wasn't it scary?" The nidorina asked. "Facing a terror like…  _him_?"

"Scary? Ha!" Brian laughed, jostling the skull he wore. "To my compatriots maybe, you should have seen the terror on that big puppy's face, but I am far to brave."

"Oh." To the marowak's shock, the girl seemed disappointed in his bravery. "I always thought that true bravery was being afraid but doing something anyway."

"I…" Brian paused. "Well, yes of course. Good thing I was wearing this skull because my face was like EEE!"

The nidorina recoiled. "The skull is a good thing? I always thought."

"NO!" He shouted, before catching himself. "No, no, no. This isn't my mothers skull, that's a big misunderstanding that humans have spread."

"Whose skull is it then?"

"Well. I. Uh."

Brian was saved from having to answer when a rustle of bushes started them both. The marowak and nidorina stared warily at the shifting plants until… nothing happened.

"Is… someone there?" The nidorina asked.

"Just me." Was the reply.

"Oh good," she turned back to Brian, only to come face-to-face with something much furrier.

"Eep!" She squealed and scuttled back, not pausing for a moment as she ran off.

The newcomer turned back to Brian, a feline smirk lighting her face. "Well she startles easily."

"Why did you have to go and do THAT?" He yelled, stomping towards the persian who had interfered. Brandishing the bone so many marowak were known for, he said. "Things were going great with her!"

"Exactly why I had to step in."

"So, I can't get any, is that it?" He snarled back.

"Yes."

Brian growled before swiping forward, aiming to conk the persian on the head. Said persian ducked under the clumsy strike with ease and lashed out with a claw brimming with dark energy.

Brian grunted in pain as the claws scratched him, but it was barely even a warning shot. "You're a bitch," he snarled, backing off.

"Right characteristic, wrong species," the persian purred back.

"Tch," Brian scoffed and stormed off, hoping to find the cute nidorina before she fell down a chasm or something.

The persian just laughed and stalked off, eagerly searching for her next prey.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

Diego was cheerful.

He was usually cheerful, so this was not an uncommon sight.

The sight of a massive dog wreathed in flames, determined to catch its own tail was somewhat of a rarer sight to the pokémon of the island, and so he garnered quite a crowd of onlookers.

A great well of noise began to peak as Diego got closer and closer to his tail, reaching an apex roar, before crashing to pieces in a cacophony of moans, boos and cheers as he, yet again, failed to grab the fluffy target.

Panting slightly, and feeling more than a little dizzy, Diego decided to pause his eternal quest for some time off. This was the point of the vacation, Felix had said, to have some time off.

What to do? That was the question of the day.

"Why hello there," a cool as crystal voice cut through his musings, a voice that always put him on edge.

Diego sniffed deeply before turning, facing the approaching persian. "What do you want, Shira?" Diego asked, he may have snarled but Felix told them all the time to play nice.

"Entertainment." Came Shira's simple reply. That was a thing about the persian, she always spoke bluntly. In her mind, she didn't need to play tricks to get what she wanted, she would get it either way.

"You want to play a game?" Diego barked, tail wagging despite him telling it to stop. The tail never listened.

"With you," Shira replied. "Too you. Either works for me."

Diego's eyes narrowed. "What are you planning?"

"A fun game, I assure you." She didn't say who it'd be fun for. "A game of chase. You chase me, I run. If you catch me, you win. If I reach the trainer first, I win. Sound good?"

Diego stared at her suspiciously. Shira had played plenty of games with him, with varying levels of promise to them. They never went his way and were often embarrassing. Try as he might, he couldn't think of an ulterior motive or trick to her words, so he agreed.

"I'm the fastest on the team, I can catch you easy!" he bragged.

"Then I get a five second head start," Shira replied, Diego nodding along. "Ready?"

Without waiting for him to reply, she zoomed off. "Hey!" Diego called after her, she was already disappearing into the overgrowth. "I wasn't ready."

He gave her the time she asked for, however, and then ran off after her.

Catching up to Shira was not as easy as he had thought. His nose was more than strong enough to keep him on track, even when she was tricky and covered her tracks, but there was so much plant life slowing him down.

For a pokémon as big as arcanine were, all this foliage was seriously hampering him.

Then the tricks started.

Pit falls. Pointy stones covered with leaves. Tree sap. A lot of tree sap.

Shira waited with a smirk on her face, watching the forest as she waited for the big fluffy fool to arrive.

She was honestly feeling embarrassed for him by the time the arcanine stumbled through the brush. Twigs and leaves swamped his fur and the arcanine trailed along like he was intoxicated.

"Caught," Diego panted as he dragged himself to Shira. "You." He reached the persian and then slumped, knocking Shira back slightly.

"Not really…" she said, but the only response was a snore.

Rolling her eyes, Shira decided to wander over to where Adrien laid. Apparently, the crazy fossil decided to sunbathe along with their trainer, not daring to go near the water, however.

Walking through sand was uncomfortable, and Shira found the grains beginning to personally offend her. She could only withstand two more meters before stopping, sitting down, and licking at her paws.

"Ugh," she groaned, spitting out sand. Setting a paw back on the sand didn't help, with her damp paw she was only getting more sand stuck.

Shivering in disgust, Shira turned tail and ran back into the forest. Poking at the unstable aerodactyl could wait, she had to clean herself.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

Adrien the aerodactyl laid in the sun. He couldn't really remember doing anything like this during his first run at life, it was difficult to even call what he remembered as memories, they were so vague and confusing that he scarcely saw them as anything more than enraging.

He got angry easily, Adrien knew that about himself. It was difficult not to be frustrated when everything was different, nothing made sense, and the fear he felt.

Snorting, the aerodactyl shifted closer to the dozing human.  _"Fear,"_  he thought, tasting the bitter admission.  _"I know fear."_

The fragile human had been afraid of him, and Adrien knew that the Little Aggressive One had been fearful as well.

Not anymore, though, and that mistake would cost them.

Adrien bared his fangs, breath coming out hotly, excited. His heart began to pound as he crept closer, in a moment he would get what he wanted, taste what he had desired, kill the one who had saved him.

Adrien blinked.

" _Kill?"_  He thought, confused at why the idea repelled him so.  _"Fragile human… saved me?"_  He hadn't thought of that before. He closed his mouth with a click. Being so close to Felix, the sound woke him from his doze.

"Mmph… hey Adrien?" He yawned and rubbed his eyes, completely at his mercy, and yet unafraid. "What's up?"

"…" Adrien said nothing, his breath was still hard, and Felix noticed.

"You feeling alright?"

"Feels… odd," Adrien answered. "Pit in belly. Feels heavy. Why?" His speech, while Felix could understand him now, was still stilted often.

"Did you eat something bad?" Felix yawned again, but he was coming around.

"NO!"

The sudden roar started the human and Felix jumped. "Woah, okay, okay." He waved the suddenly incensed aerodactyl down. "Sorry, you only eat the best of things. Nothing bad."

"No," Adrien growled. "Not the best, never the best. Why?"

Felix frowned. "Oh, uh… sorry, I can't always afford the fancy stuff. But you prefer to hunt anyway… right?"

"Yes."

Felix gave a soft chuckle. "You're not making much sense Adrien. You sure you didn't eat something weird?"

"You are weird."

"I… thanks?" Felix blinked. "Well I'm here, so you didn't eat me." He chuckled, but Adrien simply seemed confused.

"Why?"

"Why?" Felix frowned, pushing himself up into a seated potion. "Why… haven't you eaten me?" This was reaching an uncomfortable topic he'd prefer not to think about.

"Yes."

" _Well there's no way I can't think of it now,"_  Felix thought grimly. It wasn't his go-to memory for good times, meeting Adrien, nearly being eaten by the enraged aerodactyl. Several times.

Looking at Adrien now, however, the pokémon just seemed confused. Genuinely puzzled at why he hadn't eaten the human. "That's a… tricky question."

Adrien snorted and swivelled his head around, scoping the area out. "Little Aggressive One and Shelled Pacifist are too far away. Armoured Perversion, Fire Fluff and Razor Claw are nowhere in smell. I could. Right now. I could, when you slept. I didn't. Why?"

Felix swallowed the raising fear in his stomach. He had no idea Adrien thought about eating him. It was not a pleasant thought.

Despite that, the aerodactyl simply seemed confused. He didn't want to, and such a thought helped Felix calm himself.

"I'm not a bad trainer, am I?" He asked, a question he often thought of asking his pokémon but never gathering the nerve to do so.

"No."

Feeling a little better, Felix asked. "I treat you well, nowadays, right?"

"Yes."

"You get to battle and hunt and enjoy yourself." An ancient predator, Adrien would be allowed to hunt other pokémon with a few rules in place. Felix could only hope he followed them. "Right?"

"Yes."

"Do you hate me?"

"No."

Even Adrien seemed surprised at that answer. "Why?" The aerodactyl asked, and Felix didn't know what to say.

"I, uh… I don't know. I treat you well, you enjoy yourself, I'm not terrible to be around. Is that why?"

"No." Felix wilted. "Yes." Before perking back up again. "I do not know."

Felix withheld the sigh, it'd not help here, and swallowed the nerves and stood up. Adrien watched him curiously, a sadness flickering in his eyes. Those same eyes widened in shock as Felix stepped closer, closing the short gap between them.

"I trust you," Felix said, kneeling down to lay a soft hand on Adrien's rocky head. "You saved my life."

Adrien took in a shuddering breath before leaning into his touch. The aerodactyl couldn't feel much, but he felt good in ways he didn't recognise that the human would lay such a gentle touch on a beast like him.

"You gave me life," Adrien said, finding words he didn't recognise. "I not remember much of Time Before, but it was not life. Surviving it was, then dying it was. No time to live, only survive. Battle to survive. Hunt to survive. Then death, dark, cold, fear." Adrien shivered, and Felix moved his hand to where the aerodactyl had trembled, feeling him calm. "Then light. Live. Change. Too much change. Fear. Angry. Fear. Then you. Warm. Safe. Freedom. Life. So much life. Fear again, but you. Less fear, more life."

Felix swallowed. He felt pleased after hearing that, overwhelming so. Grinning widely, he gave Adrien's big head a hug. He tried to find words to reply with, but nothing came, so he hugged tighter.

Adrien let him and waited patiently for the emotional human to pull back. Felix wiped his face, but he was beaming with happiness. "That makes me so happy to hear!"

Then he hugged him again.

Adrien snorted, rolling his eyes. "You smell tasty again," he grumbled but Felix just laughed the dire threat off.

They fell into a comfortable silence, listening only to the sounds of breathing. Distant splashing could be heard, and the vague tone of disapproval reached them.

"Emma's still trying to talk reason, even after knowing Keira for this long." Felix chuckled, shaking his head.

"You know my name?" Adrien asked suddenly, causing Felix to swivel his head with alarming speed. "My secret name? You want to know?"

"Excuse me?" Felix spluttered, not certain he was hearing Adrien correctly.

"Other name. Adrien is my name, but not only name."

Felix swallowed. A relatively recent memory concerning the same topic, only from Shira, flashed through his mind. "You mean the name pokémon only tell to those they trust more than anyone else?"

"Yes."

Felix laughed. He couldn't help it. "That was a thing even in your time?"

"Yes."

Calming himself, the laughter may have been a touch hysterical, Felix swallowed and leaned in close. "If you are okay with telling me."

"Name is… difficult to say with words," Adrien struggled, trying to translate from what it meant to words Felix would understand. "Outstretched Wings over Craggy Valley."

"That's your name…?" Felix breathed out, almost tearing up again.

"Yes. You cannot tell to anyone."

"Of course!" Felix yelped, he remembered Shira's dire threats if he dared to tell anyone her secret name. "I won't tell anyone. I wish I had one, but humans don't… at least I don't think they do."

Adrien smiled, as best as an aerodactyl could. "One day you might get one."

Felix smiled and nodded. "Maybe in an adventure…" Kanto had been an eye-opening adventure like nothing he could have ever prepared for. But there were more regions out there. More adventures.

"Our vacation nearly over," Felix said later, after all his pokémon had returned from their island adventures. "I think we're about ready to go to Johto."

Determined nods were all returned, and Felix nodded back. Leaning against Keira, pressed into Diego's fur, with Shira purring next to them, Brian held back from Keira with a Bone Rush, Adrien curled up on Diego's other side and Emma resting close by in the water, Felix drifted off to sleep knowing he was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felix likes his pokémon, and they generally like him too.
> 
> Moments like this are things I had planned on the long play with my original idea for the story. In which we'd see every step of how difficult it was for Felix to handle Adrien. I am a little sad that things like that are, somewhat more, difficult to do. But I also think it can be sweet in a retroactive way. Here we see Adrien already soothed, but there will be plenty of chapters to come where we see the difficulties he and Felix went through the reach that kind of place. And even then, the aerodactyl was not tamed, past this point in time they still have plenty of difficulties.
> 
> So. For any who were concerned, I have names for all of Felix's pokémon, and he has a fairly large amount, I won't just give you a species and use the name forever without any context. I mix use of the name and the species, so we know who is what.
> 
> Some chapters will be long, some will be short, some will be this kind of length. Some will be easy, and some will not be easy. It is all part of the fun!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (And one time he did the saving)
> 
> I have decided something slightly different than what I said last chapter. One chapter isn't enough to get to know the Kanto team. So! So, here's a second chapter focused on the Kanto team, Six Times Felix was Saved by his Pokémon (and one time he did the saving)
> 
> Now since this chapter has six different moments in it, I'm not going to put down when and where like I usually do. The time is his first journey, and the place is Kanto. If I need specifics, I'll write it in.
> 
> Some parts may also be written in a different way, from different point of views or just in a more… telling way then showing.

Keira saved him first, she would come to often save him the same way.

Felix was often a clumsy kid, tripping over easily in a spastic flailing of limbs. The first twelve times he fell around her he hit the ground as always, scraping his arms, or knees, or both.

The thirteenth time he began to trip, she caught his leg and pulled him right back onto steady feet, such was the power of a pokémon, even a small one.

Felix would continue to constantly trip, but rarely would he hit the ground anymore. Keira would walk ahead of him, knock loose rocks or other items out of his path, and remain close to grab him when he began to quick descent to the ground.

He appreciated it. It was never fun to scrape his skin, although the constant falls did help accustom him to pain.

Even as Felix grew taller, and Keira not so much, she'd remain in range to catch him. He became a lot heavier to deal with and even the Fighting type pokémon would have trouble pulling him back to his feet sometimes.

There were times she overcorrected and threw him backwards instead of letting him fall forwards, but Felix would always laugh it off and thank her regardless.

It was easier, then, when she evolved. Felix had gotten surer on his feet, but he would still knock into things and trip over air from time to time. He was rarely careful, as he knew Keira would always catch him.

She never did find the exact words to tell him, but there weren't many times she was more scared then the day when Felix lost his footing and nearly fell down the cliffside they were navigating. She had caught him, as she always did, and told him off for being so careless.

Felix just laughed and thanked her, knowing she'd always catch him in the end.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

Diego took a shot to save him.

The setting had been grim, a devilish duo directed by Team Rocket had committed grand poaching and had stolen dozens of pokémon from all over Fuchsia City.

The city was a big one, it wasn't uncommon for pokémon to disappear for a day and turn up again fine, but the two had been too impatient and had spent only three days stealing from all over the city.

Seeing a familiar face pass by him in the crowd was not a surprise Felix had enjoyed. It hadn't been the first time he had experienced the evil Butch doled out like candy, and he remembered Mount Moon, Maiden's Peak, the Rock Tunnel and Saffron City well.

He followed as discretely an eleven-year-old could and found himself in a quiet area, with warehouses all over.

"Come out already kid," Butch said, and Felix found himself trapped, muk and grimer guarding the alleyway he had entered from, and both Butch and Cassidy standing before him.

"Well, well, well if it isn't our favourite little stain," Cassidy snarled, fingers twitching at a pokéball.

"You've made a big mistake kid," Butch growled, voice as gravelly as ever. "Now you're finally going to pay for it."

"Who the hell are you people?" Felix snapped back, hoping for a very specific reaction.

"Who…?" He could almost hear their blood pressure raise before the dam broke.

"To INFECT the world with devastation!" Cassidy sang.

"To BLIGHT all people in every nation," Butch continued, voice really not fit for singing.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love." Cassidy was calming down.

"To extend our wrath to the stars above." The motto seemed calming for many Team Rocket members.

"MY NAME IS CASSIDY!" The anger had returned.

"And BUUUUTCH of course." Felix still couldn't understand him.

"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and night." Cassidy grabbed her pokéball and sent the pokémon out.

"Surrender to us now or you'll surely lose the fight!" Butch struck a pose.

"Let's just crush him!" the raticate Cassidy sent out snarled, finishing the motto.

"ATTACK!" Butch and Cassidy ordered together, for all their pokémon to follow.

The raticate's Hyper Fang on top of the twin grimer and muk's Sludge Bomb attacks would have been too much had it just been Keira defending him.

The apparent need for Team Rocket members to say exactly who they are in song and dance was used to his advantage, and Felix sent out Diego and Shira to help hold them off.

Keira's Reversal held raticate off while Diego and Shira knocked back the Sludge Bomb attacks.

"Go for it!" Felix yelled and his pokémon did.

A flurry of Force Palm's smashed into raticate over and over again, knocking the Normal type into Butch.

While blazing in a Flame Wheel, Diego warded the grimer off while Shira tore into the muk, the growlithe and meowth able to occupy them long enough for Felix to get out of the battlefield.

With some time to think, he was able to bring some control over the battle. "Keira, circle back Shira's having some trouble!"

The muk, while Shira was able to scratch it to goop, simply reformed and was trying to envelop her. Diego was too wrapped up in the grimer to be able to help, so Keira it was.

A Force Palm blew the sludge-like pokémon off Shira and she yowled. "This is going to take WEEKS to clean off me!" Hair raising in fury her eyes glowed white and she screeched again, preparing to pounce.

"Grab her!" Felix quickly said, jumping into the muk was exactly what it wanted, and Keira had to grab Shira in a bearhug to stop her.

"MUK!" Butch roared, throwing raticate off him. "Sludge Bomb the TWERP!"

Keira gasped, Shira gasped, the muk grinned and shot the filthy poison at Felix. Keira tried to throw Shira off her and jump to the defence, but she was too slow.

Felix tried to duck, but muk had shot several globules and he could dodge them all. Despite squeezing his eyes shot a moment before the impact, Felix still saw the bright flare and felt the wash of heat.

Diego had heard the order right as Butch said it, and rolled on complete instinct into a Flame Wheel, leaping into the path of the Sludge Bomb while wreathed in flame.

The impact from the hit still knocked Diego, but his momentum caused him to miss Felix and land to the side.

"DIEGO!" Felix cried and ran to the downed growlithe's side while Keira and Shira turned their full fury on the muk and wiped it out.

"Ow, ow, ow," Diego whimpered but pulled himself up even as Felix fussed over him. "I'm fine, they will not be."

Diego had been a police growlithe. Even without the general knowledge that attacking humans was a no go, attacking his trainer sparked an anger in him he had never felt before.

Butch and Cassidy tried to run, Diego rolled around them in his Flame Wheel, setting a ring of fire around them. Only his prior training to NOT attack humans prevented him from setting them on fire.

Felix knew Diego would always come to his defence.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

Shira fought her fear to save him.

Felix would meet many pokémon with a mysterious history, times past they didn't like to share even with him. Shira was the first to share many things, but even the existence of her fear wasn't revealed until many years after her bravery.

It hadn't been the first time Felix had been in mortal peril. It wasn't even the first time another was actively trying to kill him. It was the first time, however, that another was aiming specifically for him.

Lavender Town was a lovely place. Quiet, sleepy, peaceful. It reminded Felix a lot of Solaceon Town and for the first time he had started his journey, he felt a little at home.

Lavender Town even held a Pokémon Tower. Solaceon Town was merely located close to the large graveyard, while Lavender Town held its deceased within its borders.

The place was quiet when he had received, fresh off another failure against Gym Leader Sabrina and needing to cool off. Felix had already been told the town was quiet, so when he entered, not a person on the streets, barely even a breeze, he thought it was normal.

The only other thing Felix thought he may have briefly seen, if he was not imagining it, with a flash of a jagged, yellow was off in Lavender Town, something unpleasantly familiar, and she had to be certain.

It hadn't taken Shira very long to lose her composure completely. After being heckled by a murkrow and spooked further by Keira, she gave into her fear and ran off before Felix or Keira noticed.

Shira smelled around as often as she looked and listened, her nose may not be as strong as Diego's but there were a few strong scents that commonly heralded her own personal nightmare.

The smell of blood was the most pungent one.

It didn't take long, for it to find her.

"Oh," a pleasant voice called out. "Hello."

Shira froze, that voice was the narrator for her worst dreams. She managed to turn, despite her whole body begin locking up in terror.

A pikachu sat before her. Bright-eyed (dead eyes), yellow tail (jagged and cruel), orange cheeked (scarred and burnt), and bloodstained fur (once so clean and soft).

"What's your name?" The pikachu asked, one paw outstretched, one paw behind its back. "I'm BRVR."

BRVR. Brvr. Brother.

"You." Was all Shira could say.

BRVR cocked his head. "Hmm? Oh! Don't worry about all this." He gestured to the blood splattering him. "Just lots and lots of ketchup. Yummy,  **yummy**  ketchup."

Shira couldn't move, she was paralysed in ways nothing like the status condition.

"Oh." BRVR looked down, saddened. "You don't believe me. No one believes me. No one. No one. No one. I have no one."

Tears trickled from the pikachu's eyes as he began to shake. "No on. No one. No one. Please? Won't you be one?"

Shira remained frozen, even her tongue couldn't move.

"No?" BRVR stopped crying. "Oh, okay then. I guess I'll have to take you along,  **anyway**." BRVR's voice changed, a much deeper, coarser sound erupting from his throat as his head snapped up to stare at her, a grin widening his face and revealing his bloody teeth.

The arm that was held behind his back revealed itself, bringing along an unfairly large butchers knife with it. It appeared to be corroded with rust, Shira knew why.

She still couldn't move.

"Stay with me!" BRVR called as he burst forward, speed likely a Quick Attack. " **FOREVER**."

The knife flashed and Shira, finally, moved.

She wasn't quick enough.

Shira screamed in pain as the large knife carved through her side, splattering the ground with her blood, but despite the pain, it was a relatively shallow cut. She had moved in time to avoid any severe abrasions from the knife.

The fight or flight instinct kicked in and Shira ran, with all the might her body could give, to escape the demented pikachu.

Shira couldn't see where she was running, eyes flooding with tears from both the panic and the pain. It was only once she was in a dark, quiet, place did she calm down enough to remember how to breathe.

She hid, shaking and bleeding, hoping she had done enough to avoid BRVR.

"Where are yoooouu~?"

Shira's heart sank as BRVR sung out, sniffing around and searching for her. He was so splattered with blood that the rational part of her brain was certain he couldn't smell her out either way, but the rest of her body didn't listen to the rational part.

The light ching of a knife hitting stones echoed out as BRVR walked. He had followed the trail of blood left from his attack to the big tower, absolutely flooded with death energy. Partly due to all the pokémon buried there, that was true, but BRVR knew the real reason. His little ally for this adventure holed himself up in the Pokémon Tower.

She was in here, all he had to do was find her.

Shira tried to hold her breath and stop shaking as the scraping of the knife came closer, she could barely stop herself from crying as she knew he was going to find her.

"SHIRA?"

Shira nearly jumped when her voice was called. But it wasn't BRVR who called it.

"SHIRA WHERE ARE YOU?" Felix was called.

"Shira?" Keira too.

"Shira?" Even Diego was calling her, by her name.

"Oh no," she moaned as the scraping stopped. She cringed as everything fell nearly silent, only the lightest of voices could be heard.

Then the thunder rumbled.

Still hiding, Shira could hear everything. The discharge of electricity, shing of the knife as it missed, the screams as the pikachu's attacks landed, fire crackling, bright flashes occurring every few seconds.

Keira cried out in a quickly dimming scream after a massive discharge of electricity. Shira twitched. Diego growled and barked, the sounds of embers popping, and flames crackling gave the meowth hope, only for a loud yelp to dash it.

Felix was yelling something, gibbering, before he too let out a scream.

Shira moved.

Faster than when she ran for herself, this time she ran for her trainer. Every dark thought, painful memory, fear and anger allowed her to channel an attack and Shira formed a Night Slash attack, bringing three blazing claws to stop the slash of a knife.

BRVR, for the first time she'd saw, was shocked. Not giving the evil creature time to think, she twisted her claws and tore the knife out of his grip, sending it scattering off to the side. Her other paw, burning with a Night Slash of its own, slashed forward and delivered three brutal strikes to BRVR's face, knocking the pikachu back with a howl of pain.

When he clutched his face, she pounced, sending Night Slashes with the fervour of a Fury Swipes attack.

BRVR never held back. His attacks were always pushed not to wound, but to incapacitate and kill. He delighted in opponents who did not do the same, only truly fighting back when it was already too late. Shira did not hold back.

BRVR roared, giving a burst of electricity that blasted her back. She slammed into her trainer, who managed to catch her, and knocked him over.

The pikachu was beyond words, he glowed with dark yellow Power as he built up his electricity for an utterly brutal attack.

A wicked laugh rang through the tower, shaking the gravestones, rippling the air, burying to the very core of all who heard it. BRVR paused, he hadn't laughed.

Faster than one could blink, he turned tail and ran.

The dull clunk of a cane was the last thing Shira could remember clearly later. An old woman and nothing but a grinning face, seemingly melting out from the darkness, was the last things that floated through her mind whenever she tried to think back.

**######**

The next time Shira woke up she felt great. It was due to an annoyingly persistent beeping that roused her from her sleep and the meowth yawned widely as she stretched.

Things didn't feel as amazing right as she stretched, something felt like it was pulling at her side. She looked down and felt around, feeling a strange lack of fur and poky bits of string there.

"Shira." A voice caught her attention as a hand came to grab her paw. "They're stitches; you can't touch them, or I'll have to get you a cone."

She looked up to see the smiling face of her trainer. Tears were flooding his eyes, but he was smiling.

"How?" Shira asked, she tried to think but delving into her memory gave her a sudden. DO. NOT. REMEMBER. Reaction and she decided to listen to her mind. "Actually, don't tell me. I don't really remember, and I don't think I want to."

Felix swallowed, but nodded. "You saved me," he said, laying a shaking hand to pat her. "You saved us all. Thank you."

Shira blinked, she had saved them? Such a thing seemed only correct, she was the only one competent enough to save anyone, in her humble opinion.

"You are welcome." She smiled and preened, knowing she was going to get the good food from now on. Plenty of guilt material there too.

Smiling, and beginning to purr, she let in the well-wishers and basked in the adoration that had been sorely lacking beforehand.

It would be years yet before Shira would speak of that day, but no matter what Felix knew she'd always come back when needed most.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

Emma battled to save him.

The lapras was an odd one. She was the last pokémon in Kanto Felix brought onto the team but acted like the mother of the group. She spoke formally, even classy, despite confirming she had few individuals to talk too. She was the youngest, age wise, but was the least childish. She knew the Sing technique, a useful move to send someone to sleep, but it worked in the reverse and would turn listeners hyperactive before long.

She chose to go along with a trainer on the Gym Circuit, but strongly disliked battling.

Strong wasn't a strong enough word to describe her negative attitude towards battling. She had no issue with other pokémon battling, she'd happily play support with her Sing and Psychic, it just wasn't for her.

Felix hadn't been her first trainer, Emma confided in him later, but he was the first to understand. Not just in the literal sense, his gift towards understanding the words pokémon spoke developed far beyond what he had ever dreamed, but figuratively. He didn't make her battle, but he also didn't release her like the others.

It was nice, or lovely as Emma would say, to be part of a trainer's team. Having the simple joys of having others to talk to would have been enough on its own, but she wasn't shunted to the side, holed up in the containing contraption known as the pokéball, and forgotten unless there was water about.

With a gentle use of Psychic, Emma was more than capable of floating alongside the rest of the team as they wandered the area, getting into trouble, upsetting the locals, and even sometimes solving an issue or two.

Where everyone else was more than prepared to settle differences through claw, and fang and fighting, Emma spoke, she explained, she soothed, she even argued. She never came to blows, however, even when the most straightforward way of solving an issue was a fight.

She was dexterous in ways the others weren't. Using controlled uses of her Power to perform tasks her flippers never could. She could hold an impressive number of objects in a Psychic hold at once, despite not being a Psychic type, and would always help Felix lay out the picnic for the day.

She could generate little bubbles of water with her Power to cool another team member down, or even provide a drink.

Same use with her ice-related Power, useful to create little ice cubes to keep a drink cool or send a thin shower of snow to relax someone else.

She had the control that the others lacked, the temperament, and Emma was delighted to find that she held a place on the team after all.

Arguments weren't uncommon, and fighting an issue out wasn't always healthy, it simply forced one to concede. Emma could talk them through, she stopped Brian from trying to smash Diego's head in with his club in such a matter.

Furthermore, she was the only one who could get through the Adrien when he completely lost all reason. Acting as a solid counterpoint, she could speak reason back into him and bring him back from whatever terrible place he had travelled to in his mind.

With the confidence to always be able to talk through an issue, Emma swam confidently along a cove. The group had stopped for the night, near the sea, and Emma asked her trainer if she could go for a swim.

He too knew she could always talk her way out of a confrontation and let her swim, making sure she knew not to stray too far and get lost.

Emma only laughed, a lapras wouldn't forget.

Her statement would be put to the test, after enjoying a few hours in the ocean, feeling the salt water in all its glory, lapping against her body, she swam for a while. Night fell, and the stars came out and still she swam, it was only when she realised she was getting tired did she think to turn back.

Ultimately, Emma was proven to be correct. She knew her way back and within an hour, as the stars and moon shone brightly, she spotted a familiar cove. She had ducked in there earlier, curious, but found just a small patch of sand and nothing interesting.

She could hear voices from it now, however, and with new interest she swam onwards.

Inside was a human man, dressed in the layers that humans always covered themselves with, armed with nets. A lot of nets.

He heard her enter and looked up, eyes unseeable in the darkness but something about him made her think he was widening his eyes.

"A lapras?" He wondered, voice raw, then a smile entered his voice. "Hello there beautiful thing." He dropped what he was doing and walked close, the soft thwap of flippers reaching Emma's ears.

"…hello?" She said back, before mentally chastising herself. Only Felix was able to understand her, this human was likely hearing nothing but, "Lapras."

"It is one…" he murmured, coming closer. There was something about this man that was triggering multiple danger senses in her head. The nets, the darkness, the odd quality to his voice. Deciding to have none of this, Emma turned away and began to swim.

"WAIT!" He called, and in the reflex of being polite she did stop. She turned her head back to try and see him, only for a capture contraption device, another pokéball, to hit her square in the face.

The ball opened, and she was covered with a red beam, but the device failed and plopped into the water.

"…not wild," the man muttered, and Emma had enough of this, turning back to swim off faster she wasn't able to get far before a net fell over her. "Not so fast, I'm not missing out on a lapras!"

Emma squealed out in panic, thrashing in the water as he tried to pull her back. Using her very sharp teeth, Emma bit down and tore a hole in it, giving her head some space to move. Feeling a mite better, she was able to focus on her Power and draw out a Psychic.

Using the move, she pulled the net off her and dove down into the water, ignoring the yells of the human that had tried to take her away.

She completely missed her human rushing into the cove, dressed in nothing but shorts and wielding nothing but fists. She later learned that Felix had been waiting along the waters edge, worried about her, while the rest of his pokémon remained at camp. He had heard her cry out and leaped into the water without hesitation.

He saw her escape but couldn't do so himself.

"You're the trainer?" The man said and had Felix in a net before he could even think to dive. "Then you're the perfect bait."

Emma hadn't gotten far before the man caught up to her. "Hey lapras!?" He called, trying to catch her attention. "Look what I have?" She didn't turn back, not wanting the man to catch up. "It's your trainer!"

That brought her to a stop.

The man was riding a jet ski with an add-on, zooming after her with a white wave streaming behind him.

A net was fired at her, but she diverted it with her Power. What the man said was true and Emma felt something she had rarely felt begin. Fury.

"Emma, run!" Felix called, completely trapped in a weighted net.

"Not the best idea," the man added, patting Felix through the net. "If I have to go too fast, we might bump a bit over the waves, and he might slip off. And this little lad will sink like a stone thanks to that net he's in."

Emma's heart skipped a beat as, after a jostle, Felix nearly did fall off. She knew he couldn't swim during the best of times, if he fell now he would drown.

Emma bowed her head and stopped, the poacher grinned and sent out a pokémon of his own. "Yo Bruce, make sure this lapras ain't gonna try something funny." He sent out a sharpedo who growled his response.

"Got it boss." The teeth of the terrifying pokémon sunk into dark energy as the sharpedo summoned his Power, bringing forward a Crunch to hold Emma in place.

"Emma NO!" Felix yelled as Emma braced and took the bite. Bruce the sharpedo bit down unnecessarily hard and she could feel his teeth break through the Crunch and press into her body, drawing blood.

"Good job," the poacher complimented as he slowed to a stop besides them. "Keep it in place, I'm getting the net ready."

"Excuse me?" She whimpered, feeling the sharpedo grip harder. "Excuse me," she said a little more forcefully. "Could you please let me go?" The sharpedo did not release her. "Please, just let me take my human and go. We're not here to cause any trouble, just let us go and we'll move on."

With some time to spend, the poacher made sure he had everything in place and perfect before entrapping his prey. "Okay lapras, you better not move or else your trainer gets a dip in the drink." The poacher pressed a threatening hand against Felix and he could feel himself nearly slip into the water.

Emma cringed and tried again. "Is there anything I can offer? There has to be something. My trainer can understand us, whatever it is I can get the request across."

She felt Bruce beginning to release her and her heart leapt.

"Good job."

Before the net brought her crashing down to reality. The sharpedo swam dutifully back to the poacher's side and the man tossed a bit of chum to him, Bruce delighting in the feed.

Emma felt whatever technology the poacher had designed completely trap her in the net, no opening to swim out of, as he clicked it to his jet ski. "We're just gonna go nice and quickly back to my cove and then we'll be out of here! Right to a buyer, won't that be fun?"

"You're going to pay for this," Felix said darkly, but the poacher ignored him.

The poacher thrummed the engines and Emma shrieked as the burst of water hit her directly in the face, before she was pulled along against the hard edge of the net.

She couldn't right herself, she couldn't swim, it was too fast. She could only throw her head above water to take a breath before she was dunked right back down."

Soon enough, however, they reached the cove. The moon still shone bright down upon them. Emma desperately took some gulping breaths of air before looking around hopefully. The others weren't there.

Felix seemed to share in her hope and shared the pain when it shattered. "Where are they?" She whispered, net resting up against the jet ski. Felix pushed a hand through his net to pat her on the head.

"We're going to be fine," he promised.

"Nah," a deep voice chuckled, and Emma turned to see Bruce swimming up against her net.

"Is there nothing you can do?" She asked, receiving a chuckle in response.

"Definitely."

"You can do something!?" Emma asked, excited.

"Sure." Bruce gave the closest thing a sharpedo could make to a shrug. "I'm not. But I could."

Her heart sank, again. "Why not?" She pressed forward. "This isn't right, I have a trainer, and he's in a net too! Why won't you help us?"

"I follow my trainer," Bruce replied. "And he treats me good. And getting you is making him real happy, I'll be getting lots of treats for this!"

"You. You." Emma couldn't find the words to express her outrage and disgust. "Ruffian!" She tried. "Scoundrel!"

"Those are some real fancy words your spittin," Bruce replied conversationally, before surging forward and slamming her against the jet ski. "And I'm not liking 'em."

Emma's eyes flashes as she summoned her Power and used Psychic, aiming to throw Bruce off her. Nothing happened.

"W-what?" Her eyes flickered.

"HAHA did you just try a mind thing on ME? I've got a Dark personality, sure you wanna try that again?"

He slammed into her again, jostling the jet ski as he did so, the final step required to cause Felix to slip.

"FELIX!" She screamed as her trainer's cry was cut off, the water had already swallowed him up. "You've got to save him!" She turned back to Bruce.

"Hmm… nah."

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean 'nah'?"

"I mean I'm not doing squat, Guy was probably gonna do that anyway, saves him the trouble."

"You." Emma suddenly found the words. "Go to sleep."

Emma started singing. "Go to sleep, go to sleep, go… to… sleeeep."

Sing rarely worked the way it should have, energizing others rather than sapping them. And this time was no different.

"Woah!" Bruce said, beginning to sway back and forth. "Keep doing what you're doing!"

"Sleep, sleep, sleep, SLEEP!"

Emma could hear her own singing, and it worked the same way on her.

Calling upon her Power for a use she had nearly never used it for, she fired an Ice Beam with every bit of Power she could muster. Empowered by her own song, it sliced right through her net and struck Bruce head on, freezing him into a sharpedo-sized ice cube.

She slammed her head forward, shattering the part of the net she had frozen, and immediately dove down.

She spotted Felix quickly, still thrashing against his net, and grabbed him with her Psychic. He was heavy, thanks to the net and whatever anti-pokémon qualities it had, but she refused to give in and pulled with all her Power.

Guy the poacher had noticed the disturbance and came swimming out, playing direct witness to Emma bursting from the sea in a surge of rage. She tore the net snaring Felix to ribbons and then, in contrast to her energetic display, gently placed him on the shell on her back.

Felix was coughing, more than she liked, but he hadn't taken in too much water by the time she reached him.

"BRUCE!" Guy roared and the sharpedo managed to break through the ice with an Aqua Jet. "GET THEM!"

"Get ready," Felix choked, trying to get a good grip on Emma's shell before she sped off. Only. She didn't. "Emma?"

"I'm defending you." Was her only response.

Emma gathered up another Ice Beam and fired it, only for Bruce to easily dodge it. "Not this time!" He roared and slammed into her.

Emma had braced, however, and scarcely even twitched from the impact. "Ice Beam on the water," Felix managed, pulling more air into his lungs than there was water now.

Following her trainer's plan, Emma froze a circle around her to ward Bruce off for a moment. "Now, Psychic on the ice, hit him with it!"

"Get them DAMMIT!" Guy yelled, but to no effect. He wasn't a trainer and didn't care enough to know much of what Bruce could do. Felix directed Emma well enough to catch the directionless sharpedo off guard and beat him unconscious with a big block of ice.

"Ice Beam on the guys jet ski!" Emma was only too happy to oblige, freezing the vehicle that had taken many Water type pokémon away.

"Now get him." Felix pointed to Guy, who was rapidly trying to escape.

"Ice Beam?" She asked, half serious.

Felix was tempted, he admitted later, but shook his head. "Psychic, we'll take him to the police."

"Silly Song but Rejuvenating Voice," Emma said, as they swam back to land. "That's my name. I heard Shira told you hers? That is mine."

After that day, Felix understood that even if a pokémon had no interest in battles, that didn't mean they wouldn't fight for those they cared about.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

Adrien fought his nature to save him.

Adrien was not an easy pokémon to be around. He was violent at the best of times. Abrasive when they could understand what he was roaring about. And overly difficult to get to follow even the simplest commands. It was telling that it took Felix several months before Adrien would follow the order. "Do not try to eat anyone on the team. That includes me."

If one could understand the aerodactyl they would be forgiven for thinking that Adrien was never fed, as the only thing that seemed to be on the aerodactyl's mind was food.

Thanks to a lot of advice, and some direct Psychic intervention through Gym Leader Sabrina, Felix was able to get through to Adrien and the aerodactyl began understanding and speaking some sense.

Things did not get better.

Being able to understand each other just meant Adrien knew what he was refusing to do, or not do, and he had more than a few snappy comebacks of his own.

It wasn't until much later, with seven gym badges under Felix's belt, while exploring the mountainous region north of Pewter City did something finally change.

Felix had left Keira at the closest Pokémon Centre to recover after a nasty battle against a wild rhydon, and left Shira there to keep her company if they didn't return in time, but he was still exploring.

He was nervous, something akin to irritated, and frustrated. Seven badges he had obtained, only the Saffron Badge was left, Gym Leader Sabrina, had he yet to defeat.

There had been times Felix had considered searching for one of the smaller gyms that dotted Kanto and try for one of their badges, but Sabrina had challenged him. And he knew he wouldn't be able to partake in the Silver Conference if he didn't surmount that mountain.

To prepare for the figurative mountain climbing, he decided to climb actual mountains. The pokémon around were powerful and his team was pushed to their limits fending off several dangerous Rock and Ground type pokémon.

Even Emma joined in, citing her type advantage and the fact that Adrien couldn't be trusted to help. He was more likely to fly away to hunt than help.

Things had been going well. Diego and Emma were too large to remain out of their pokéball's constantly and had to be recalled frequently. Brian was good to remain out, the stout marowak being more than able in this mountainous adventure.

Then Felix slipped.

He'd later on laugh to Keira, saying that if she had been there, there would have been no chance he'd fall. She'd laugh too; but her smile was tight, and a paw was clenched.

Brian did not have as swift reflexes as Keira and failed to react fast enough to grab Felix as he slipped. He managed to throw out the bone he held, but Felix's fingers were not strong enough to grasp it and the human fell with a scream.

The cliff was sheer, but most of all, it was icy.

It was to Brian's endless relief that Felix didn't fall far, he landed on a wide ledge and sprained an ankle and his wrist but was otherwise okay.

The trip had knocked a pokéball loose, however, and Adrien had been flung out as well, slamming wing-first into the ledge, that next had Felix land on it.

"I'll get help!" Brian called down, once he found that Felix was alright. Brian wanted to help personally, but the cliff was too sheer, too slippery and he was smart enough to know that he couldn't do anything helpful himself, but others could.

The only race was the one against the light. The mountains were cold and would only get colder. Felix had bundled up with warm, protective clothing, but when night fell the temperature would drop well below zero and there was not near enough space for Diego to come out to warm him.

So, Brian ran, as fast as his stumpy legs could carry him.

On the ledge, Adrien and Felix found themselves in a conundrum. Adrien had landed on his pokéball, shattering it, and due to the fall Adrien's wing was almost certainly broken. There was barely enough space for both of them, and Adrien was colder blooded than Felix.

Time passed slowly, tensely. Felix wasn't sure how he felt, to be trapped on a ledge with a pokémon that had tried to kill him before. A pokémon he had just broken the wing of. Despite that, despite the pokéball breaking, despite the pain, despite everything, Adrien didn't do anything, and Felix tried to relax.

He wished he could call out even one of his other pokémon. But both were too large. He entertained the idea of trying to get Emma to use Psychic to float herself, and them, up but discarded it. Emma only just could raise herself and he couldn't risk her falling, or them.

So, he sat huddled against the cliff as the temperature fell, and they grew colder. With nothing else to do, he tried to talk to Adrien.

"So…" he began, already pausing. Adrien didn't even react to his words, but he pressed on anyway. "This sucks."

Adrien breathed out, Felix wasn't sure if that was a response.

"It's cold, we're both sore, and Brian isn't back yet. But he will, he'll save us."

Adrien was silent.

"He always come through, he's not fast but he doesn't get tired, they are probably on their way already!"

Adrien breathed in.

"I hope Keira's alright though, she'll be mad that I fell. Oh no, I hope she doesn't try and come with them, she needs to rest more!"

Adrien made a sound, Felix was certain it was a snort of laughter.

"If they send a lot of people, they probably won't be able to guard her enough. Keira knows the ins and outs of Pokémon Centre's too! There's one in Solaceon Town that we went to all the time. Nurse Joy there would give us Pokécola, even though she wasn't supposed to."

Adrien breathed out.

Felix continued chattering, filling the silence with meaningless ramblings and keeping their minds off the cold as best he could.

"I'm cold though," Felix eventually said, his teeth had been chattering so loud that he didn't need to say it. "How are you?"

Felix listened to Adrien breathe in and out for a while, hoping he'd say something back.

"Tired," he whispered, eyes drooping. "Can't sleep."

"Don't worry," Felix chattered, rubbing a stone-cold part of Adrien. "You can sleep, I'll guard us both."

"No," Adrien groaned, shuddering. "Won't wake."

Felix frowned. "You won't… wake up?"

"No."

"Oh." His eyes widened. "OH! You can't sleep, not in the cold and snow!" A light dusting of snow had begun to fall and was coating them both. "You never wake up if you sleep in the snow! Except for Ice types I think…"

Adrien groaned, and Felix grew panicked. "Adrien no! You can't sleep, no!" He patted Adrien's side rapidly, trying to slap some heat into him. "Come on, you're super strong you can't go to sleep. Stay awake!"

Adrien took in a shuddering breath. "Not coming. Not in time."

"Brian will be here," Felix insisted.

"Not in time."

There wasn't much room to move, but Felix tried to close what little space there was between them in an effort to warm Adrien up.

"You're freezing!" Felix moaned, shuddering even worse now that he was in contact with Adrien's rock hard, utterly freezing, skin. "Stay awake!"

"Get off," Adrien grumbled, trying to push him off. "You freeze quicker like this."

"No." Felix stubbornly replied.

"Off," Adrien repeated, a hint of a growl entering his voice.

"No!"

"Now," Adrien's voice held the warning that had scared Felix so many times in the past.

"NO!"

"NOW!" Adrien roared, thrashing as he forgot where they were and tried to throw Felix off. He succeeded.

Felix hit the edge of the wall and slipped, feet running in place and arms flailing. He was yelling again, and Adrien remembered where they were.

"AH!" Felix yelled as his feet slipped and he fell again, fingers managing to grip the edge of the ledge they were on.

"HUMAN!" Adrien screeched, tail whipping down and slamming into him. Felix felt his life flash before his eyes, but he didn't fall.

Adrien's tail had slammed him against the rocky wall and held him in place. "Up," the aerodactyl groaned and Felix grappled around, managing to grab onto the ledge again. "Up," Adrien repeated, and they managed to shimmy him back up and onto the steady floor.

"You saved-" Felix was cut off as the steady floor, stopped being so steady. "WOAH!" He waved his arms, trying to steady himself as the ledge began to break away from the wall.

He clung to Adrien and, thankfully, the ledge stopped cracking.

"It will fall," Adrien grunted. The ledge was still straining, and it would properly fall soon enough.

"Th-they'll get us," Felix stuttered, still holding onto hope.

"Not in time," Adrien grunted back. "Floor fall, because heavy."

"We're too heavy?" Felix asked.

"Yes."

"Then one of us." He stopped himself, not wanting to think past that.

"Yes. One of us fall. Me." Adrien spread his wings, one bent and broken, the other tinged with cold and nearly cracking.

"ADRIEN NO!" Felix cried, acting without thinking. Part of the ledge had poked up, and as Felix surged forward he hit it and lost his balance.

"HUMAN!" Adrien roared as Felix fell to the side, the aerodactyl's tail not able to grab him this time, and Felix fell with a scream.

Felix didn't see his life flash before his eyes a second time, he just felt happy that at least Adrien would get out of this alive.

"NO!"

Twin talons hooked and strong, perfect for gripping suddenly clasped around his abdomen. Felix felt the wind get knocked out of him as he was squeezed, and a part of his mind flashed back to the other time Adrien had done this to him. He had been trying to kill him that time.

Adrien screeched in pain as he flared his wings, trying to slow their descent and fall into a glide. He strained and felt his rocky skin, affected by the sharp cold, begin to tear but he refused to give up.

Holding the extra weight made it so much more difficult, but for reasons he couldn't explain Adrien refused to drop Felix. He succeeded in gaining control of the fall and arced his body, wings straining all over again as they narrowly avoided the tightening crevice. Adrien sent them in a horseshoe motion and used their speed to fling them right upwards.

It wasn't enough to get them to the top, not with the extra weight, and he pumped his wings, feeling every part of his broken wing scream in agony, while the other one strained against the cold as it tried to compensate for the broken one.

They nearly reached the top, before Adrien felt the sinewy part of his broken wing tear completely and he lost all push on that side. He flapped frantically with the other wing as Felix threw out two pokéball's.

They began to fall again, but Adrien managed one last push and opened his jaws, clamping down on the cliff side and chomping his teeth right through the frozen stone.

Emma and Diego appeared, and Emma reacted immediately. She grabbed Adrien in a steady Psychic while Diego flipped out, snapping the arcanine out of his panicked yelping with a bark, not unlike the ones he was giving.

Emma pulled them up as best she could but wasn't strong enough to hoist them onto the safe land. Diego grabbed Adrien and tried to pull, but the aerodactyl hadn't released the stone.

"Let go," Diego urged. "We've got you."

Adrien hesitated, the primal part of him couldn't bring itself to place his life or death in the hold of another.

"Adrien," Felix's voice reached him. "It's okay, let them pull us up."

" _Don't listen!"_  The inner part of him said.  _"Outstretched Wings over Craggy Valley. Do. Not. Listen."_

Adrien began to release the rock.  _"Name. Not just that. Adrien. Adrien also name."_

He fully let go and Emma and Diego pulled them up.

It was much later that Felix was able to talk to Adrien, after the search party arrived to find them part way back, after Felix had been treated for hypothermia and Adrien had been treated for his wings, cracking skin, and hypothermia as well.

It was over a week later before they were even able to consider the idea of leaving, that Felix asked to talk to Adrien alone.

Nurse Joy had given him a spare pokéball to recapture Adrien with, they had gone on the computer to have the broken pokéball marked as such, but Felix wanted to ask.

"Do you want to still come with me?"

He had been terrified of the response. Every part of him told him to just capture Adrien and be done with it. The aerodactyl was violent, uncontrollable, rude and more, but Felix couldn't see his team without him.

"Yes."

To his surprise, Adrien agreed immediately. Even after he explained that with the destruction of the pokéball, Adrien could technically just leave. Even then, Adrien had chosen to stay.

That was the moment Felix decided, no matter how difficult it might get, no matter how disobedient, uncontrollable, violent and more a future pokémon might get. As long as it wanted to be with him, he would forever continue to work with them.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

Brian saved him from himself.

It was his first proper journey, Kanto was the beginning. Felix had decided he didn't want to combat Sinnoh until he was ready, until he could do it and not embarrass himself in front of the only humans that cared. They might see his attempts in other leagues, but as long as it wasn't Sinnoh he could deal with it.

He wasn't sure what to expect, but like anyone and everyone competing there was a part of him that thought he'd win.

He managed to get through all four special fields, and in the final field, ice, Keira did the unthinkable.

They entered the next match on top of the world. Six on six. Felix felt bad he had to bring Emma into this, but with confident that he wouldn't need her.

His opponent, Lennard, smashed him.

The score ended 5-0. It took absolutely everything he and his team had to bring down even one of Lennard's pokémon, a charizard, with a final move that actually destroyed their battlefield and nearly injured them.

Lennard had, afterwards, complimented him on the battle and told him off for nearly injuring them both with the final attack, but left with a smile.

Felix, however, was stunned.

Lennard's charizard had sent both Keira and Adrien into the emergency department and neither was going to be fit for doing much of anything for a few weeks. Shira and Diego were a little better, which simply meant they were only unconscious. Emma was the least injured, but the shame in having used her, even if he pulled her out of the battle quickly, ate at Felix.

Even as Emma assured him she wasn't upset with him, Felix continued feeling like the bottom of a tauros.

Lastly there was Brian. Brian was a little less injured than Diego and Shira and was the second to be released from the tender care of the chansey. Emma being his first.

He took Emma to a lake nearby for her to swim in and sat at the riverbank and stewed in his loss. Brian joined him quickly and the two sat near the water, picking at the grass.

"So." Brian broke the silence. "That sucked."

There was something about how frank Brian had said it, but the words made Felix laugh."

"Yeah," he giggled, hiding his face as he laid back against the ground. "Completely rubbish." He composed himself and sat back up. "Sorry. I guess I just wasn't a good enough-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Brian interjected. "I'm afraid not. You are a perfectly good trainer, I'd even say you're exceptional, and you know me. I only say that about the ladies."

Felix frowned slightly. "Are you calling me a girl?"

"No." Brian rolled his eyes and thwapped Felix's leg with the bone club. "I'm calling you an exceptional trainer. This was your first go, no one expected you to get it won straight away!"

"I know that," Felix said, crossing his arms and frowning. "I just… we were beaten so easy, it took everything to beat the charizard, and that was just one pokémon!"

"So?" Brian shrugged.

"So?" Felix gaped. "So, what?"

"Exactly." Brian winked. "So, what? In the end Adrien did take out the charizard, even if he knocked himself out doing so. That's still impressive."

"But that doesn't… that's not… ah." Felix bowed his head. "Why can't you let me be sad?"

Brian sighed and stepped up close, laying a hand on Felix's shoulder. "Of course, you can be sad. We're all a little sad, we feel like we let you down."

"What!" Felix squawked, snapping his head up. "That's wrong. You didn't let me down. None of you did, you are the only reason I got as far as I did."

Felix looked up, seeing Emma slowly drift along in the lake, even from where he was he noticed her head was bent a little farther down than usual. "EMMA!" He yelled, catching more than a few people's attention as he did so. "YOU DIDN'T LET ME DOWN! YOU DID MORE THAN I EVER COULD HAVE ASKED FOR! THANK YOU!"

Emma seemed to perk up and Felix looked back to Brian, nodding his head. "It's nice to hear it. Even though you still feel like you let us down, right?" Felix's energy seemed to fade, and he sighed.

"I can't pretend?"

"Nope." Brian shook his head. "Because we feel it too. You can't help but think 'What if I did this?' Or 'What if I tried that differently?' But we know you don't blame us, and we all hope you know we don't blame you. We will all use this to get better, stronger, greater. But we can't get there without you. Alright? We kind of happen to like you, I don't want that guy as my trainer." Brian pointed out to a random person walking along. "I want you. And so does everyone else."

"Alright." Felix smiled, genuinely this time. "Thanks."

Felix didn't tell Brian, or any of the others, but he had been wondering if he could keep going. If he was a good enough trainer for the pokémon he thought deserved only the best. But if they chose him, then he'd choose them back.

Always.

**(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)**

Felix saved them all.

Such a fact was never spoken outright. Not from everyone, not with words.

It'd be years before Keira would tell Felix the truth of the night he saved her, how close she was to death, how grateful she was that he remained stubborn and came back to save her.

Adrien could never be sure about what his life would have been like, had he not broken out of the containment a second time and tracked down the puny human that had dared to capture him the first time. He was sure, however, that it wouldn't have been a life. He may have been living, but it would not have been the life he had with Felix and knew that the trainer had saved him.

Diego was not happy when he was Number 4. Just a number among a pack of growlithe, trained in complicated police manoeuvres that he just couldn't understand. He knew he could have stayed with Blue Haired Owner and they might have been able to help him understand, together. But he wouldn't have been as happy. He wouldn't be as free. For that, he saw Felix as his saviour.

Shira was a normal meowth. She didn't have the mystery of Keira, the ancient power of Adrien or even the unique training of Diego. She was just a normal alley cat who had been challenged by a cocky riolu. Her life would have been the same, forever. Feeding off scraps, participating in pokémon disputes over territory, until she inevitably got sick from a scratch, ate something bad, or anything else. Perhaps she would have been killed instead, over the same disputes or even a human not happy with a meowth digging through its garbage. Keira may have been the reason she joined, but Felix was the reason she stayed. The human gave her a warm place and food, then a team, a family, a home. He had rescued her, and she wouldn't forget that.

Brian was weak. He knew that. As a cubone he could barely escape predators and survived mostly by being too small to notice. He had dreamed, so many times, of a trainer. A human. The pokémon spoke of how powerful a human could make a pokémon, even though the human's seemed to have no powers of their own. Yet no matter how long he waited, no one came for him. No human would want him. He wasn't strong enough to be noticed, and he wasn't brave enough to approach them himself. Felix met him halfway, coming to save him from a fearow and then letting the cubone approach him. Brian was sure that had Felix not taken him along, saved him, no matter how weak he was, he'd still be in those bushes, waiting for a human that would never come.

Emma had been bred to be a battling pokémon. She never knew the smell of the sea until her third human, disappointed but kind enough not to just sell her again, released her into the ocean. She scarcely knew how to survive and was too soft hearted to hunt. Felix had found her, malnourished and fading in a forgotten corner of the region and had saved her. Out of everyone, however, she asked him to come along. Realising what could be had, what could be missed, by letting him leave. He accepted the strange lapras who sung the wrong song, wouldn't battle and refused to hunt. And in doing so, he saved her.

They weren't the end of that.

Felix never thought of it like saving and rescuing, but it wasn't an uncommon topic among the pokémon he didn't have on hand at a given time to share stories about what their trainer rescued them from.

And they all were determined to continue saving him. He couldn't have saved them, if they didn't save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat gooey at the end, but I quite enjoyed this!
> 
> Haha, whoops? I didn't mean for this to be this long, Emma's in particular, although this is how I enjoy writing, so we will probably see chapters longer than this to come.
> 
> This was fun though. Not my usual style of writing, I usually write third person in the now, not in a mix of retelling and showing, but still enjoyable.
> 
> Just for something you might enjoy. Several moments in this chapter will be shown in much greater detail in times to come. Shira's part with BRVR in particular, that demented pikachu from the creepypasta just had to be included, and he ends up showing up more than a few times.


	5. Issues in Johto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's been a bit, but I have returned. Just been ruminating on some ideas and can finally write them down.
> 
> Today we see Felix's Johto Team. A small bit of trivia, his Johto Team, is his smallest team, only five of them. Six when you include Keira, but she won't feature prominently in this chapter.
> 
> Let's begin.

"Andrew! Tania! Quit it!"

Felix tried to stare down the brawling pair, but they didn't so much even glance his way.

"Tyson, Keira, do something!"

The lucario and scizor moved in to break them up. Keira is grabbing Tania in a choke hold while Tyson snared Andrew's tail in a pincer.

Andrew hissed before glaring at Tyson, the red pattern on his frill freezing Tyson in place and sparked began flickering across his shell.

Tania relaxed in Keira's grip, leading to the lucario looking down at her with suspicion. A barb of ice and a quick stomp of Keira's foot caused her to release Tania, and the weavile leaped forward once again.

Andrew twisted out of Tyson's grip and hissed, darting forward to smash his head into Tania's.

Keira snarled and jumped forward herself, while Tyson forced his way through the condition Andrew's Glare left him in and leaped in as well.

Felix sighed. Now there were four pokémon brawling.

Keira wacked Tania's leg with her Bone Rush, while Tania hit Andrew with a large block of ice, sending the arbok careening into a jittering Tyson and sprawling them both on the ground. Tyson recovered first and grabbed Andrew by the tail again, this time whipping the arbok out like a whip to smack Tania back.

Andrew didn't enjoy being treated as a whip and the arbok bit down with a Crunch, breaking a small hole in Tyson's carapace. The scizor released the arbok with a cry of pain and Andrew slithered forward, aiming for the downed Tania.

Before he could reach the weavile, Keira stepped in his path and waved him back with her Bone Rush, dropping her concentration on Tania, letting the weavile trip her onto her face.

Felix watched, unimpressed, as the brawl began to turn from just an angry grapple to a full-on pokémon battle. All four were using moves at this point, jets of ice, poison and a lot of metal were being thrown around.

"ENOUGH!" Felix yelled, loud enough to pause the four. "The four of you are being incredible- oh for the love of-"

They had already resumed their smackdown, completely ignoring him.

"Are we late?" a, thankfully, a calmer voice asked.

Felix turned, face brightening in relief as the last two returned. Both pokémon had been sent out to fetch any berries they could find, with the aim of Tamato Berries.

"Yes," Felix answered. "But you're here at least, did you find them?"

The typhlosion of the pair stepped forward, shifting his hands to procure the red-hot berries. "Got them right here."

"Thank the legends." Felix took the berries in hand and turned to the comical cloud of dust that now obscured the fighters. "ANDREW, KEIRA TAMATO BERRIES HERE!"

Almost immediately, the giant snake pokémon burst from the cloud, heading straight for him fangs bared. Felix tossed a Tamato Berry up and jumped to the side, letting the arbok crunch down on it.

The lucario wasn't far behind, swiping the berries right out of Felix's hand. Felix was thankful she didn't take them from Andrew's mouth.

With two now feasting, Felix grabbed another handful of berries. "TYSON! BERRIES!"

The scizor was more straightforward to please, enjoying all the berries, and he too separated from the rampage-in-progress.

Taking the berries carefully with a pincer, Tyson bowed to his trainer and sat down next to Andrew, nibbling on the fruits.

Tania the weavile remained attacking various bits of ice for a moment longer than sane, before realising the fighters had dispersed. With a huff, she sauntered over to them, disappeared, appeared behind the two newcomer pokémon, snatched all the berries from the flygon, and disappeared into the woods.

"IT DOESN'T COUNT AS STEALING IF WE WERE GIVING THEM TO YOU!" Felix called after the kleptomaniacal weavile, receiving no response. "She'll be back."

"Oh, she WILL!" the flygon snapped, not appreciating being robbed of the berries she had painstakingly gathered. "She'll be back. On FIRE!"

Spreading her wings, a thrumming sound wavered through the air as the flygon took flight, aiming for the direction Tania had disappeared and ignored all verbal attempts to stop her.

"Nathan!" Felix yelped, turning to the typhlosion. "Grab her!"

Nathan nodded, and as the flygon took flight, his eyes glowed and knocked her right back to the ground.

"Ow!" she moaned, clutching her head. "Was the Extrasensory necessary?"

"Yes Sahara," Nathan answered, nodding as Felix grabbed Sahara's pokéball. "Yes, it was."

"Don't go after her," Felix ordered, getting a pout and crossed arms as a response. "Or I'll return you."

Sahara was still frowning and not answering, seemingly thinking something over.

"Saharaaah," Felix warned, knowing she was considering if she could dodge the return beam.

"Fine!" Sahara rolled her eyes and untensed her wings. "I'll get her when she comes back. Like a trapinch waiting in the sand. Mwa! Ha! Haa…"

Doing his best not to laugh and show a possible avenue for Sahara to get away with trouble, Felix turned away from Sahara to hide his smile and moved to admonish the three remaining brawlers.

"Keira," Felix said sharply, getting a twitch of her ears as she heard his tone. "Andrew." Andrew rolled his eyes and continued savouring his berries. "Tyson." Tyson stood ramrod straight, regretful and apologetic.

Felix moved narrowed eyes over the three of them, noting Keira's dismissal, Andrew's disobedience, and Tyson's utter regret and came to a decision.

"You're alright Tyson," he said, seeing the scizor nearly stagger with relief. "Sit by the good ones… well." Felix looked back with a mock-glare at Sahara. "THE good one and her handler."

Tyson scuttled over, giving Felix the opportunity to stare down Keira and Andrew.

"Do we know what we did wrong?" he asked, getting crossed arms and an irritated hiss. "Well?"

"I was just stopping them from fighting," Keira muttered, turning her head from him.

"You joined in," Felix deadpanned. "And turned it from two to four."

"Tyson made it four!" Keira snapped back, pointing an accusing paw at the scizor. "And you didn't see that smirk of his when you let him off!"

Felix looked back to Tyson, who seemed offended at the insinuation. "Tyson knows what he did wrong and is sorry, and he's nothing as bad as you two."

Turning back to glare at them, Felix missed the smirk that lit the scizor's face.

"He's doing it right-" Keira spluttered before wilting. "Oh whatever, let him get away with everything."

"So, you admit you did wrong!" Felix crowed, a superior smirk on his face.

"Fine." Keira rolled her eyes. "I shouldn't have gotten carried away. I was trying to stop this one." She jerked a paw at Andrew. "And the kleptomaniac from tearing their respective scales and feathers off."

After a moment of thought, she added. "And I'm sorry."

Satisfied, Felix turned to Andrew. "So…" he began, looking the arbok up and down. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

He began pacing back and forth, waiting for the arbok to reply. Keira got up and started walking to the 'good' side, steadying Felix when he began to trip over a tiny pebble.

There was a hiss of laughter from Andrew, something that only continued when Felix tried to regain his dark look.

"If you were a wild creature," Andrew said. "You would have tripped into a predator'ss trap and been conssumed long ago."

Not the most pleasant thing Andrew had ever said. But Felix had grown used to his lowkey threats long ago.

"Good thing I'm human, a trainer, and I have you guys," he replied, getting a headshake from Andrew.

"Bah. What do you want me to ssay?" he asked. "Ssorry? To the sscavenger? What would be the point? I wouldn't mean it; sshe wouldn't believe it. Iss that the lessson you wish to impart? Liess to brussh problemss under the leavess?"

"No." Felix sighed, stepping in closer to Andrew and sitting down. "By this point, I've learned you can't force this kind of stuff."

"Good," Andrew said, turning to slither off to do his own thing.

"Hey!" Felix snapped. "Don't slide off and leave me sitting in the dirt." To his surprise, Andrew listened and waited. "Can you tell me what your issue is? Today at least."

Andrew was quiet for a moment before giving a reluctant answer. "I dislike the things she says." Was all Andrew would impart before slithering off.

Felix sat in the dirt for a moment longer, annoyed that he sat down only for Andrew to leave, but soon got to his feet.

"I'm going to look for Tania," he said to the remaining four. "Try not to destroy the camp."

"If you're going I'm going!" Sahara said, floating to her feet and quickly reaching him, hovering alongside. "And you know you shouldn't go into the woods alone, you've gotta take me!"

Felix glanced back to the other three, none of them felt enough pity of him to join him, so the human nodded. "Alright, but no setting anything on fire."

"What if there's a battle?" she asked.

"…Then we'll see." Felix allowed. "But no burning the forest down because the branches bothered you."

"That was a one-time boss!" Sahara whined. "Are you never gonna let it go?"

"Never." Felix shook his head. "After spending a week teaching you Flamethrower, only for you to do THAT? Never."

The flygon pouted but didn't complain any further.

It was difficult to tell where Tania had gone. The weavile was exceptionally quick and stealthy, capable of passing through ferns without so much as bending a stem.

There still were a few ways to tell, all requiring specific circumstances. Since she had run off after a fight, one where she was using her Power, the Ice-type pokémon left bits of frost behind.

There wasn't much, and the frost was melting, but between Sahara's keen eyes and Felix's presence, they were able to follow a path.

"Tania?" Felix called. Tracking her was all well and good, but he knew that one wouldn't find Tania unless she wanted them to see her.

Or made a mistake, but he wasn't counting on that.

"Tania?" he continued to call. "Can you come out?"

"So, I can roast you!" Sahara added, before flinching at the furious glare Felix gave her. "Heh, kidding."

Sighing heavily, Felix continued calling. "Tania? You're not in trouble; I want to talk to you! Can you come out, I have Sahara's pokéball and can return her if needed?"

"Hey," Sahara said. "That's cold boss."

"As cold as me?" Tania asked, from behind them. "Not likely."

"Found you, you little-" Sahara lunged before she glowed red. "Aw boss, I was kiddiiiinnggg," her voice trailed off as she was returned.

"So," Tania began, leaning against a tree trunk. "You rang?"

"Sorry about Sahara," Felix apologised, shrinking the pokéball and clipping it to the pokéball belt. "She's a little more aggressive today than usual."

"Probably because of this." Tania procured a huge berry. "This was hidden in that bundle of hers, an accident I am entirely certain." She tossed it to Felix, who nearly tripped thanks to the effort of catching it.

Felix admired the berry for a moment, before dropping the arm. "Did you have to steal it?"

"I didn't HAVE to," Tania answered, smirking.

"Why," Felix emphasized the word, "did you then?"

"Why not?"

"There's no need to be difficult." Felix attempted optimism.

"Oh, but it's so much fun!"

Sighing, Felix checked the ground for anything particularly unpleasant to sit on, before dropping down to be more level with Tania. "What were you and Andrew fighting about?" he asked, remembering what little Andrew said. "It seems to be happening a lot lately with you."

"I know right." Tania rolled her eyes. "Everyone is just so jealous of me and my amazing amazingness."

Felix was unconvinced. "Are you sure that's it?"

"What else could it be?"

"Well…" Felix hesitated, but Tania began looking bored, so he quickly continued. "Andrew said you said something to him that started the fight."

Tania examined her large claws. "He would say that wouldn't be?"

"Was he lying?" Felix asked.

"No, but it doesn't matter does it?" Tania's tone turned vicious. "You've already made up your mind. The Dark type is the problem maker, so of course, she is entirely at fault."

"Hey, I'm NOT saying that," Felix defended. "Andrew's a Poison pokémon, you're a Dark type, one of you started it, and I want to know who!"

"And therein lies the issue," Tania said, bitter victory filling her voice. "It had to be an issue one of us caused because we are the 'evil' types. Isn't that right?"

"No," Felix began, but Tania cut him off.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You didn't want either of us, caught him because he was causing trouble, caught me because I was causing trouble. You didn't want us. You just wanted to solve a problem and feel all good and junk."

As Felix scrambled for words, Tania stopped leaning on the tree and began walking back towards their camp.

He caught up to her quickly, Tania only having been walking. "That's not true." Felix found his voice. "I'm happy I have you two-"

Tania cut him off again. "Did you WANT to bring us along?" She asked, not stopping or even looking at him. "Did you see us and think 'Wow that's a pokémon I so want to join my team'?"

Felix was silent. He was never good at lying.

Snorting at his lack of response, Tania prepared to run the rest of the way back to camp. "I want you now though." Only to freeze at his words.

Felix nearly walked into the weavile but caught himself in time. "You're right, I didn't capture you for a great reason, but that shouldn't matter now. I've gotten to know you, both of you, and I want to keep you on my team."

"You can't be serious," Tania snorted, unfreezing, and turning to look up at him. "I'm a thief, and Andrew is, well, an enormous douche."

"Where did you learn that insult!?" Felix spluttered, going red.

"You'd be surprised at what pokémon know," Tania smirked. "Or maybe not. Either way, I overheard a human insult another human using that word. The other one reacted similarly to you, hilarious."

She laughed, and Felix gave his laugh.

"It doesn't matter to me if you are a crazy thief." He still had Sahara's berry in hand. "Or if Andrew is… difficult to deal with sometimes. The only thing that bothers me is when teammates hurt other teammates."

"We're pokémon." Tania rolled her eyes. "We fight and battle and enjoy it. Quite a bit."

"You know that's not what I meant," Felix said. "I'm not saying you have to apologise to Andrew; I don't know the situation because neither of you will tell me, I just want to know that I don't have to worry no one is going to say or do anything that goes too far."

They walked in silence for a bit, the sounds of the camp were reaching their ears, and Felix was almost sure he could hear some new rampage happening.

Chuckling at the look Felix wore, Tania raced forward. "Whoever gets there last has to deal with that."

"Hey, no fair!" Felix cried, running after her. "You are faster AND have a head start, Tania, slow down!"

He made it nearly five meters before tripping over. His tumble, however, sent Tania into such a fit of laughter he was able to crawl up to her and pounce, grabbing the weavile in a firm grip.

"I will be first!" he declared, picking her up and holding her over his head as he ran the last stretch.

Reaching the camp found Andrew trying to shove Tyson's head underground, Keira on fire and Nathan laughing his guts out. Sahara was sent from her pokéball, she caught her berry, and divebombed into the tussling bug and snake duo.

Tania used Felix's shoulders as a board to leap off and land on Nathan, bringing the typhlosion down.

Felix could only shake his head, unable to stop the large grin off his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter took much longer than the last ones to come out. Sorry, I was a bit stuck precisely what I was doing to introduce these. It's the shortest chapter so far too, sorry again.
> 
> I think to help remember which character is what, I'll put at the start of the next chapters onwards if it is pokémon we have met before, and the bottom of this chapter at least, who is what species.
> 
> Keira – we know she's a lucario.
> 
> Nathan – typhlosion, some Johto orientated chapters may have him as a cyndaquil or quilava.
> 
> Tania – weavile, some Johto chapters may have her as a sneasel.
> 
> Tyson – scizor, some Johto chapters may have him as a scyther.
> 
> Andrew – arbok.
> 
> Sahara – flygon.


	6. Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello once more. The last chapter was a short one, this one is more than twice as long!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> So, I'll put all the pokémon we have seen up to this point at the start of this chapter, but I won't do this every chapter because then that's just wasting space.
> 
> Keira – lucario.  
> Adrien – aerodactyl.  
> Diego – arcanine.  
> Shira – persian.  
> Brian – marowak.  
> Emma – lapras.
> 
> Nathan – typhlosion.  
> Tania – weavile.  
> Tyson – scizor.  
> Andrew – arbok.  
> Sahara – flygon.

Andrew laid motionless, admiring the beam of moonlight that lit up his form. It was not the warmth of the sun, it wasn't even warm. Frankly, he was quite cold, but both the sluggishness of being a cold-blooded pokémon and the lack of desire to move left him shivering.

He sat away from the others, heard the chatter and the laughter, heard the crackling fire, listened to the overall good cheer of the group.

His hearing was exceptional, and if he were to bother, Andrew knew he'd be able to make out each pokémon's specific words. He did not worry, however, and instead heard the tell-tale sounds of someone approaching.

It wasn't the beat of wings that would imply the flygon Sahara or even the aerodactyl Adrien. Nor was it the soft, blunted, strides of Keira or the typhlosion Nathan. There was no short, but noticeable thumps that would imply the heavy scizor Tyson or the short marowak, Brian.

There were only two sounds so it couldn't be the four-legged Diego or Shira. And there were sounds in the first place, so it wasn't the levitating lapras Emma or the sneaky weavile that didn't deserve a name.

That left only the crunching of boots on the ground, crushing the leaves and twigs.

"Hey," Felix said, reaching Andrew. There was something in his hands, but it was too dark for Andrew to make it out. "Watch you doing?

Andrew considered whether he should answer that or continue acting asleep. He decided it was quite obvious what he was doing and chose not to respond.

"Everyone's having a good time," Felix continued voice light and seemingly unaware of Andrew's lack of care here. "Fire's warm, they even convinced me to open up some more cans of food."

The fire was a dirty attempt to play; but still, Andrew didn't react.

"And everyone's wondering why you're over here." Felix finished, falling silent and awaiting Andrew's response.

"That'ss a lie," Andrew spoke, without even meaning to. Deciding he had already spoken, he continued. "I can hear them, none have sso much as ssspoken of me, let alone wonder about my abssence. If you musst lie, at leassst make it believable."

Felix frowned slightly, part of him didn't realise Andrew's hearing was that good, the other part decided to do something stupid. "I was wondering where you are."

"You," Andrew emphasized, not moving an inch. "Are not everyone. The lie was ssstill told."

Felix sighed and stepped forward, moving past the rock Andrew lay on and finding a patch not filled with pokémon to sit on. He laid a hesitant hand on Andrew's tail and nearly winced. "You're freezing," he said, alarmed. "Good thing I brought this then."

Before Andrew could react, his mind was a bit sluggish anyway, Felix had unwrapped and tossed something thick, warm and heavy over him.

"What isss…?"

"A blanket." Felix smiled, not that Andrew could see it. "I figured you'd be, well, you and not want to come over. So, I brought you this, it can't be good for you to be cold."

Andrew was silent, but he did move his head, away from Felix. "Humph," he snorted but didn't try and dislodge the blanket.

The arbok waited for Felix to leave, but the human didn't seem to want to budge. He couldn't be comfortable, sitting on a cold, hard, rock with only an arbok for a company. There was a far better company to be had with the others, pokémon that were enjoyable to interact and spend time with. Not him.

"You've done your good deed," Andrew said, deciding this charade had gone on long enough. "Now go back to the otherss and leave me alone."

Felix shifted slightly when Andrew spoke, but didn't do as requested. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked as if he doubted the arbok.

"Of coursse," Andrew said back, sounding as bored and dismissive as he could. "Why would I assk you to leave if I did not mean it?"

"I just thought you might enjoy some company," Felix replied, his hand resting on top of the blanket. It was comfortably warm.

"Hardly," Andrew hissed back. "If I desssired company, I would have joined you all in the firsst place."

"You never join us," Felix insisted, still not moving his hand.

"Becausse I never want company," Andrew insisted, finally moving to try and remove Felix's warm hand.

"You sure?" Felix asked, but Andrew didn't respond for the rest of the night. He would know, as he sat with the antisocial arbok for the rest of the night.

Andrew spent that time trying to seethe but failing to muster the anger.

Instead, he remembered.

* * *

A long, white fang glinted in the sunlight.

The pointed nose of a lone rattata was raised to the sky as the pokémon sniffed. There was an odd scent in the air, but it was muted by the expanse of grass.

Cautiously, it began to creep forward, aiming to dart into the long grass at any sign of danger.

There was no time to react as a long purple body burst from behind the rattata, only the soft sound of grass being parted as a warning. The rattata managed a single squeak as it was tackled, but its neck was snapped before it could even plead for its life.

Satisfied, the arbok that had attacked wrapped the end of its body around the corpse of the rattata and began dragging it away. Not consuming the rodent pokémon yet, it instead had a different plan.

"I am here!" the arbok called as it awkwardly slithered to a large hole in the ground. Moving with its prize had proven to be challenging, if only as a test of patience.

A smooth, purple, head poked out of the hole before pulling itself entirely onto the surface. It was a second arbok, visually nearly identical to the first, only a slightly differing pattern on its hood.

"You actually went to the trouble?" she hissed. There was a certain smoothness to this arbok's speech, the only indicator to many pokémon of this arbok's gender.

"Of coursse," the first, a male, happily replied. He maneuvered his coils around to push the rattata towards the female.

She eyed the offering for a moment, or perhaps the second arbok, before leaning down with an unhooking jaw.

It was no squeamish sight to another arbok, but the fashion of consuming prey was a very disturbing one to any other being that bore witness to an arbok feasting.

It was a typical nightmare for the pokémon of the area, knowing that not one but two arbok claimed this land as their own.

Once digestion was in process, the second arbok slowly looked up to the first. He seemed quite pleased with himself, cheerful even. It was an odd look, but an expression she had seen on him enough to be used to it.

"My thankss," the female said, getting a jubilant head bob in response. She slowly turned around, aiming to re-enter her home and sleep for a day.

The first arbok quietly waited in guard, protecting her nest from any who dared to approach.

* * *

"Andrew, Poison Jab!" Felix commanded the battle underway.

The arbok deftly avoided a clumsy swipe from his machoke opponent and summoned his Power. Forcing it through the end of his tail, the tip of the appendage glowing purple, he delivered a brutal jab right into the machoke's chest.

The machoke choked out a gasp as the air was knocked out of him and staggered back, the bruise shining with a purplish glow. Poison.

"Get his legs," Felix continued, the other trainer scrambling for a strategy and failing to act in time, giving Andrew the chance to wrap around the machoke and trip him. "Crunch!"

Fangs burning with dark energy, Andrew stabbed down with the sharp objects and the machoke howled. Eventually, the machoke's trainer returned him and interacted with Felix for a moment before leaving.

Andrew, who had caught the tail-end of the interaction, immediately turned on Felix. "What wass that?" he demanded, gesturing wildly with his tail. "What did you jussst do?"

"What are you talking about?" Felix asked, taking a noticeable step back. "We were talking, you know, like people do."

"What did you give the other human?" Andrew asked, narrowing his eyes. "I ssaw you give the other human ssomething."

"I." Felix floundered. "Well, I just. The battle. I thought I should… well. It went a bit far, I was giving him a few potions because there's no Pokémon Centre near here."

"A bit far?" Andrew repeated, slithering up close. "This wass a battle, there iss no 'too far.'"

"You could have seriously hurt that machoke," Felix argued back. "I thought I told you not to be so brutal, that WAS the deal, we fight like you want as long as you dial it back a bit."

Andrew made an odd sound that took Felix a moment to realise was laughter. His tail was swaying back and forth in the air as the arbok laughed. "I wasss following our 'deal' to the letter. A jab, a trip, and a bite? HA! You cannot be sso naïve to believe that if I wasss not holding back. If I wassn't, I wouldn't have sstopped there."

"Well." Felix turned his head away, going red as he didn't want to have this argument. Again. "Why do you have to fight so… so underhanded? None of the others fight like that." Sighing and switching back to looking at Andrew he conceded. "Tania does to a point, but her style is more hit and run, you just attack like your really trying to hurt the opponent."

"The opponent iss the enemy!" Andrew snarled. "Of coursse, I am trying to hurt them; therefore they will know not to messss with you or me."

"We're not doing this to MAKE enemies." Felix gestured wildly at the air, trying to convey some explanation of the turmoil he faced whenever using Andrew in battle. "Rivals maybe, friends hopefully, but not enemies. Enemies are not worth it."

"Enemiess are everywhere," Andrew hissed, voice lowering to a deadly tone. "It iss like you have never…" Andrew trailed off, remembering exactly who, and more importantly what, he was speaking to. "Ah yess, YOU never have had to face the life of a wild creature. Of course, you wouldn't undersstand."

Felix began to relax, realising that he was finally getting through to Andrew. "Exactly, and your life isn't like that anym-"

He was cut off with no time to react as Andrew struck forward, only the soft sound of grass being parted as a warning. Darting faster than Felix could make out, the young trainer was bowled over by a rather massive snake.

Felix gasped in pain as the ground met his back and he thumped his head painfully on the ground, more than enough to daze him. The coils of the arbok pinned both his arms, and there was no amount of futile kicking that would do anything in this situation.

Felix's senses felt like they had been increased by ten. He could hear his heartbeat pounding away and could make out the fine lines that separated the arbok's scales.

More than anything, he could feel exactly where Andrew's fangs poked against his neck, feel his cold breath on his skin, feel the tension and strength in the arbok's body.

Tears pricked his eyes as Felix laid. Still, there was nothing he could do if Andrew decided to hurt him. Nothing he could try that would save him if Andrew bit down.

Then, as soon as the event had happened, it was over.

Felix wasn't sure when Andrew had slithered off him, time meant nothing as he had laid in silent shock. Eventually, however, he pulled himself up into a sitting position, numbly feeling his neck for any blood.

"You know nothing."

Andrew was still there, watching and waiting as his trainer found his limbs to be working and his body undamaged.

"Nothing," the arbok repeated, turning his head away from Felix.

"Is this a game to you?" Felix asked as he raised Andrew's pokéball, but besides a violent flinch, the arbok didn't answer him.

With shaking hands, fingers itching to press the return button. Or, perhaps in the very back of his mind, activate the necessary sequence to release the pokémon. He did nothing.

Lowing the quivering limb, Felix mustered his courage, swallowed his fear and began walking forward. Andrew, realising he wasn't be returned, began to slither forward as well, keeping just a tiny bit behind Felix.

Ready to strike, as he had learned as a wild pokémon.

* * *

The arbok darted to the side, avoiding a crushing blow from the hooves of his opponent. Summoning his Power, the arbok pushed it into the tip of his tail, causing the appendage to shine a baleful purple. Quick as a dart, he jabbed the rapidash in the flank, receiving a pained snort.

Breathing fire, the rapidash attempted to roast him, but the arbok was too quick and darted into one of the many holes littering their battlefield.

The rapidash snorted in frustration, glancing around with small, angry, eyes, as the bruise on its flank began to deepen.

It scraped the earth with a hoof, ready to charge the moment the arbok chose to reappear, but it's head was beginning to feel light.

A soft whinny left the rapidash's mouth as its limbs began to grow weaker. Eyes widening as it realised it had been poisoned, the rapidash turned to flee.

Then, the arbok struck.

Fangs dripping with venom, the arbok latched onto the other flank, drawing blood and an agonized shriek from the rapidash. What it hadn't anticipated, however, was the rapidash wreathing itself in flames to ward him off.

Letting go with a sharp hiss of pain, the rapidash slammed a hoof down, knocking the arbok into the earth, before it thundered off.

Groaning in pain, the arbok tried to pursue but it wasn't fast enough, and the rapidash was gone.

"Why do you do thiss to yoursself?" a new voice asked, catching the arbok's attention.

It was the female arbok, and suddenly all thoughts of pain vanished, being replaced with joy, and then shame.

"My apologiess." The male arbok bowed his head, wanting to press his face into the dirt in penance. "The prey esscaped."

"Becausse you went after a rapidassh," the female replied, tossing her head. "And if you had brought it down? It is far too large for either of uss to eat!"

"I jusst wanted," the male mumbled.

"What wass that?" the female demanded.

"I jusst wanted to impressss you," the male replied, making sure he was clear.

"And insstead you are burned, bruissed and beaten," the female listed, shaking her head. "Sso again I assk, why do you do thiss to yoursself? Already I care for a clutch of eggs, you have proven your worth long before thisss madness. And sstill you perssisst for a reasson I cannot fathom. Sso tell me, I assk of you, why?"

The male was silent, and after waiting for the female decided that yet again, he would not explain the reason for his insanity. Perhaps he didn't see the madness in himself, she wondered. Maybe the mad, do not realise they are insane.

She was paused from her departure by his voice. "The rattata."

She turned back, confusion marring her face in the slight ways only similar pokémon could tell. "Pardon?"

"The rattata," the male replied, lifting his head. "The pikachu. The zigzagoon. The rapidassh. The pidgeot. The humanss even. Many creaturess, mossst creaturess it sseemss, do not come together only to bear young and then sseperate. They remain… together."

"Okay…" the female arbok said. "And your point being?"

"I would like it," the male began, hesitating every few words and a striking colour began to appear through the purple of his face. "If we were… to… perhapss… if it could be posssible… if we could remain… together. Not move on from one another."

* * *

"Andrew is very, very, sorry and I will make sure something like this will never happen again."

Felix was tired of this.

"You have to get a better grip on your pokémon!" the angry person of the day shouted. "You better hope no damage came to that egg or you will be paying for it."

"Yes sir," Felix replied, doing his best to keep the monotone out of his voice. "I understand sir. I will make sure Andrew is punished for this and keep a very close eye, so nothing like this even has a chance of happening again."

After ten more minutes of getting dismembered with nothing but words, Felix was allowed free to punish his pokémon.

It distressed him that it didn't upset him that he was very good at lying now. Staring right into someone's eyes, the voice kept as honest as possible, no hint of boredom or deceit as he made promises he knew he couldn't continue.

It seemed to happen at least twice a week. Andrew would do 'something' that brought chaos and shouting down upon Felix. He refused to stick around with the other pokémon, even Keira couldn't tailgate him for long, and then slither off to do some kind of dirty deed.

Tania was hard enough, stealing, assaulting, mocking and driving other pokémon into rampages. The only small relief is that she was intelligent, subtle, and liked to get away with her acts. So, Felix rarely got into trouble, especially when she realised how much trouble she'd get in from him.

It didn't dissuade her from causing the trouble in the first place if anything she took it as a challenge, but besides suspicion and guilt, she didn't cause to much pain.

Andrew, on the other hand, seemed to have a sense of finding exactly the worst thing to do. He attacked young pokémon in the ownership of trainers, possibly trying to eat them, Felix didn't dare to learn. He'd go after eggs. He'd scare trainers, cause property damage, brawl in the streets and poison everything that tried to stop him, along with anyone else in reach.

Numerous pokémon had to be given antidotes, pecha berries or rushed off to places of healing because Andrew had attacked them. And Felix feared that the only reason he didn't do the same to the trainers was that he'd get in more trouble he'd be able to get out of.

But even then. Felix had grown unfortunately familiar with the Officer Jenny's of Johto ever since he had captured Andrew.

While it was good for a brief laugh when he encountered some sort-of-friends he had made in Kanto, Ash, Misty, and Brock, and was able to determine an Officer Jenny before Brock, who apparently was obsessed to the point of creepiness, that moment passed when the topic of HOW he knew came up.

He had been fined, held in a holding cell for an afternoon, and had his trainer's licence briefly in danger because of Andrew.

It was a fact that several of his other pokémon had gotten him in trouble before, Adrien and Tania in particular, none of them had gone so far.

It was these beaten-down thoughts that played through Felix's head as he walked away from the most recent bout of chaos. Thankfully Andrew had been stopped before he inflicted any damage, still, it was the last time he could be seen around THAT breeder's enclosure. Adrien had broken into the egg incubation room and tried to eat one of the eggs.

Tania, of all pokémon, had stopped him.

Finding a spot suitably private and far, far, away from anyone else, Felix sent Andrew out.

The arbok immediately curled up in a ring, lifting his head in a dour glare at Felix, as if he was the one in the wrong.

"Do not give me that look," Felix snapped, a brief flicker of something resembling surprise flitted through Andrew's eyes. "I don't even know what I'm going to do with you, or even what to say here."

Andrew tossed his head. "Not going to try and make me apologisse?"

"No." Felix's voice was hard as steel. "For one thing, I am not allowed to go back there. For a second, what would be the point?"

"Exceptionally little," Andrew admitted, bobbing his head. "And you are not of the temperament to yell. So yess, that is the quesstion, what ARE you going to do or ssay?"

Felix covered his face with a hand, pressing into it in an attempt to give him strength. He wanted to send Keira out to help him, any pokémon, all of them even. They for sure had a few things to say that might mean more than anything Felix could say.

But he didn't. They had been returned on demand by the breeding enclosure's owner, even the saviour Tania, and Felix just didn't want to bring them out just so they could cause a fight.

He knew. That was what Andrew wanted.

Felix found his voice. "Why do you do this to yourself?" he asked, causing Andrew to flinch back in shock. "Are you trying to prove something to me? To yourself?" He waited, but Andrew seemed content to just blink rapidly.

"Instead you're burned, bruised and beaten," Felix listed. Tania had attacked him at first, but the egg warden had come roaring in, the magmar not happy to have anyone fighting in such a sensitive area, but once he realised why the fight was going on, he knocked them outside and joined in.

"So why? Why go after a bunch of eggs? You can't be THAT hungry, I feed you, I let you hunt, you've proven you're good enough at that, that you're strong enough at that. What more do you need to do before this madness ends? You keep doing this for a reason I cannot even think of. So, tell me, I ask of you, why?"

Through the blur of tears that had inexplicably filled his eyes, Felix missed the mixed expression of devastation and something else on Andrew's face.

Sniffing, he wiped his face with an arm, letting him see that Andrew had turned away and begun slithering off. "Where are you GOING!?" Felix's voice cracked as he ended his sentence with a scream, stamping his foot into the earth.

Andrew acted as if he hadn't said anything at all.

* * *

"Where are you going?" the male arbok asked.

The female acted as if he hadn't said anything at all.

It had been too many changes of the light and dark for the arbok to keep track of since the female had accepted his proposal they remain together.

Things were awkward at first, neither had done anything like this before, their species had no inherent biological urge for a mate, but the male was sure that they were going well.

It was nice, to know someone would be waiting for you when you returned home, or the knowledge that you were waiting for another to return.

Strange, odd, baffling at times, but nice.

Still, his mate had been leaving quite often lately, at odd times, taking a long time to return and acting... distant.

The male wasn't sure if much had changed at all, they weren't, and he didn't expect, or want, them to be all over each other like he had seen with some other creatures. No. That was not his desire. He couldn't put his tail on it, but there seemed to be something different than when she had accepted the idea, and now.

Part of him wondered if this was what the 'love' other creatures could be heard talking about at times was. If it was, he didn't understand the intense emotions and want over it.

Whatever they had, it was still lovely. The male arbok just couldn't help but think that there was supposed to be something more to it.

He tried to put his feelings into words, but such an endeavour was challenging to even start. He guessed that's why they were called feelings and not words, but also putting a word to a sense, like happy, fear, hunger. He wasn't sure if that last one was a feeling, but he felt it enough to include it regardless.

Those were easy, not the turmoil of confusion inside him.

He spent a day and night trying to figure it out, before deciding to directly talk with the other arbok and hope for the best.

As the other arbok made to leave for the day, he slithered up next to her and tried to look attractive enough to be noticed.

Flared his hood and everything.

It was enough, and she paused.

"I wass hoping that the two of uss could engage in communication," the male arbok began. He received a single blink from the female, but she didn't move to leave. He was good at reading her and knew that this was his allowance to speak.

"I have… a turmoil of thought and feeling that I am having difficulty in placing wordss to," he said. He received a single blink from the female. That one was slightly harder to read.

"I uh… wass hoping a disscusssion between uss could alleviate my mind."

She blinked again.

Feeling a rare stab of annoyance at her, the male arbok asked. "Could you ssay ssomething?"

"Ssomething," the female replied.

Flattening his eyes into a dull expression, the male glared. "That issn't what I meant, and you know it!"

She tossed her head, and he felt his annoyance grow.

"Iss this a game to you?"

"Yes," she said, void of the trademark hisses their species was well known for.

The male blinked rapidly, trying to digest that response. "What?"

"It iss a game," she replied, hiss back in place. "One that I tried to play in the beginning, but now I am only pretending to play. I know what you want of me, but the truth iss, you are an experiment. An attempt at something bold and daring, but an attempt doomed to fail. I know you, for ssome sstrange reassson, desssire love. Yet the fact remainss, I do not love you. I can never love you. It iss not my way, our way."

Stunned, the male arbok could only listen. Once she had finished he found the turmoil quietened, everything drowned out in pain.

"How?" he croaked, nearly biting down on the inside of his mouth. "How could you do that? Pretend? How could one pretend?"

The female bobbed her head in a manner of dismissal of the question. "I do not know, perhaps I am an excellent user of charades? Perhaps you were too blinded with hope to see it." She paused as he reeled back and gave him a pitying look. "You don't blame me, do you?" she asked. "The arbok do not take mates like so many other creatures. We tried, we failed. You cannot blame me, can you? You can only blame yoursself for trying."

She turned her head away, aiming to find her favourite sunbaking spot for the day. Before leaving she realised one last thing, she should say. "Don't come back here, this was my nest first." And left.

The male arbok watched her leave, the female not glancing back, and remained in silence as the sun began moving its way across the sky.

He eventually looked back to the nest, her nest, where their eggs still incubated. He wished for many things then but accepted that none of them could be anything more than that. Wishes.

He left and chose to honour the female arbok's last request of him. He would not come back.

* * *

"What made you think you could do that!?" Felix demanded, glaring down Andrew as the arbok hissed back.

"I may battle whoever I pleasse." He was a twitch of intensity away from using the move Glare on Felix.

"A Steel-type Gym Leader!" Felix shouted. "STEEL! How did you THINK that'd go?"

"I expected it to go with thosse russted pilesss of metal melting on the ground," Andrew answered.

Unlike the usual rows between Felix and Andrew where Felix made sure none of his other pokémon, even Keira, were there to see it, this time everyone caught in Johto was here and angry.

"You do NOT jump out of your ball in a Gym Battle!" Keira snarled as Felix turned away to scream into his hands. "And you DO NOT ATTACK BEFORE FELIX CAN RETURN YOU!"

"Do you know what we went through to bring the leader down to that last pokémon?" Nathan demanded, stepping forward to press a flickering finger into Andrew's hood. "Magneton, klefki, aggron, steelix. You knew the plan was me, Keira, Tyson, and Sahara. You did NOT have a part in this battle, and you wrecked the endeavour. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Andrew made a low, threatening, sound in the back of his throat, but didn't say anything.

"I cannot believe you did this," Tyson was the next to speak, shaking his head slowly. "Even if you had won, you would have done so by disobeying orders and ignoring our trainer in the battle itself. Even when he was trying to work with you, you didn't even consider listening to his vantage point. Steelix was weakened by that point, you may have had a chance had you listened, but you didn't. Now, look what's happened."

Andrew flicked his head away from Tyson, but then he was facing Tania. "Wow. Wooow. Of all the things you've done, this isn't even the most despicable, but it's possibly the most deplorable. Of all the trouble we give Felix, as we should, the one thing even I don't mess with is the Gym Battle. That's a new low, almost worthy of the hollowest of congratulations, but, really, you don't even deserve that."

The only one not having spoken was Sahara. She was the pokémon intended to be brought out against Olivine Gym Leader Jasmine's steelix, Nathan, Keira, and Tyson all being unfit for battle at that point. Needless to say, Sahara was beyond livid and had to be returned multiple times before Felix could even shrink her pokéball and make her unable to rampage.

With Tania finished, Keira began a new tirade but was cut off at a loud buzz. She gasped, along with the others as they were all hit with the pokéball returning beam.

They faded into the pokéball's and Felix shrunk them, needing to re-return them all several times before he managed.

Silently he clicked the shrunken pokéball were to his belt and met Andrew's eyes. The arbok was quivering. After being verbally browbeaten by multiple figures one might mistake the shaking for fear, but Felix knew otherwise.

It was almost more to stop Andrew from snapping and attacking as it was to force them to lay off him that Felix did return the others.

They stared at each other, Felix unable to muster the question he had already asked countless times.

"You don't blame me, do you?" Andrew asked, tone mocking and painfully bitter. "You tried, you failed. You cannot blame me, can you? You can only blame yoursself for trying?"

Felix wiped his eyes. He wasn't upset like the others because of the Gym Battle loss. He had lost before, several times even. Sabrina still haunts his dreams. It was everything else that led up to this point, it was at the newest nail that drove in the fact that Andrew again wouldn't listen, still would do everything to make things as hard as he could.

Felix remained silent, fidgeting with a pokéball. Andrew eyed it, knowing it was his.

"Sso are you finally going to admit defeat?" Andrew asked. "Accept that thiss game we play cannot end with your victory?"

Felix swallowed. "What game?" he asked. "Because if you're playing, then, what are you playing at?" Felix cast his eyes down to the pokéball, to the specific button he knew where there. "Are you playing to win? Or are you just playing to try and stop me from winning? Did you ever try at all?"

Andrew remained staring up at his trainer, thinking over his words, thinking over how much they reminded him of another passionate discussion. Only Felix was the one falling apart, and he was the cold one.

It was funny in a way.

"What are you laughing at?" Felix asked, clenching down on the pokéball. Andrew didn't answer, just kept hissing his laugh. "Stop. Stop laughing."

"It iss jussst funny iss all," Andrew tittered. "How the roles are reversed."

"What roles?" Felix asked, Andrew just kept laughing. "Answer me dammit!"

"It doessn't matter, now does it?" Andrew asked, eyes taunting. "The game iss over."

Felix's hand clenched around the pokéball harder, eyes darting between it and the arbok before him, weighing a question in his mind.

He knew that Andrew gave few answers to his questions, and he couldn't be sure of the truth to the few he did give out. He knew, either way, it didn't matter, but he asked anyway.

"Do you want me to release you?"

"Yes." Andrew didn't hiss, it reminded him of the worst moment of his life.

Felix let out the small breath he was holding and shifted his grip, a finger pressed down on a tiny button until the seal of the pokéball began to flash, then he pressed the seal, holding his finger there as it checked his fingerprint and then waited the time it gave to give you to stop the action.

He watched Andrew as he did so, the arbok stilling completely and staring forward. Felix kept hoping Andrew would meet his eyes, but the arbok directly stared ahead, determined not to honestly look at him.

The pokéball clicked, and a blue light flashed over Andrew, crackling before disappearing. The pokéball stopped.

"There," Felix said, letting his arm fall limply to his side. He felt weightless like he would float away, but he felt this way because he felt empty.

He raised the pokéball and clicked the return feature, nothing happened.

"You're free now."

Andrew remained frozen, looking forward blankly. He didn't respond.

"Bye." Felix turned around, completely aware Andrew was technically free to attack him, that as a wild pokémon he could, that as he had boasted before, that he was right, and that Felix had never experienced the life a wild pokémon did.

But Andrew didn't move, and Felix was able to leave.

* * *

Andrew laid motionless, admiring the beam of moonlight that lit up his form. It was not the warmth of the sun, it wasn't even warm. Frankly, he was quite cold, but both the sluggishness of being a cold-blooded pokémon and the lack of desire to move left him shivering.

There were no others to sit away from, act all aloof and distant. He heard no chatter or laughter, there was no crackling fire beckoning him, no overall good cheer that he laid away from.

The arbok's hearing was exceptional, and if he were to bother, the male arbok knew he'd be able to make out the sounds of the woods, the chitters of the pokémon, hear their words. He did not bother, however, and instead listened for the tell-tale sounds of someone approaching.

Andrew listened for the whole night, lying in the moonlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I didn't intend on ending that with a rhyme, but why not?
> 
> This has probably been my favourite chapter to write. I really enjoyed the dichotomy of writing the present moments with Andrew and Felix, before jumping to the past to see Andrew before he was Andrew.
> 
> It has been fun our large, snaky, friend. Well, not for you. This chapter was sad, but I do find some enjoyment in the tragic. Hope you all enjoyed this too, and that you felt a bit for Andrew. He's an asshole, but there is more to him than that…


	7. Community Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Let's try this. This is my fourth attempt at writing this. First attempt, failed. Second, failed. Third, something new, failed. Fourth, this should be fun.
> 
> This is an extra long chapter.

_Location – Kanto five gym badges._

_Age – 11._

_Rota._

The day was going to be a bad one, Felix knew this. Knew it the same way he knew falling down a cliff hurt; from personal experience.

He was not happy. Happiness was null and void. Non-existent. If joy ever existed, he had forgotten it along with the rest of the goodness of the world.

Honestly, the time was dire.

"What's with the long face?" Keira asked, climbing up next to him.

Felix cast a dispassionate eye down towards the riolu, before giving another world-weary sigh.

"Oh?" Keira snorted, deciphering the sounds her trainer made. "You're still mopey about socialising?"

"Meh."

"You really think this is going to be a waste of time?"

"Hm."

"And that our time would be better spent doing something productive like training?"

"Mmph."

"And that for the life of you, you still cannot figure out why we are so fixated on having you act like a human being?" Keira shook her head. "That you are." She added. "Just in case you've forgotten."

"Yeah…" Felix said, staring down at the shell he sat on with a mix of emptiness and irritation.

"Lighten up Felix," the cheerful voice of his mount added in. "Think about the fun and games that can be played! Or the people you're going to meet."

Felix laid a hand on the cool, blue, leathery skin of Emma. The lapras was carrying him, as his pokémon had figured out his dastardly plan of refusing to walk so he wouldn't have to go to this festival.

She was floating above the ground, levitating herself with a clever use of Psychic. "It's the people that I'm worried about," Felix admitted.

He gave another sigh, causing another one of his pokémon to decide now was the time to start talking.

"Humans are awesome!" Diego yipped, running ahead of the sedately floating Emma before running rings around her. "They're fun and nice, and they can run a really long time, and smart, and smell good, and give us treats, and teach us better ways to fight, and-"

"That's enough from the doofus patrol," the other passenger of Emma spoke up. Shira, now a persian, pulled her head up from where she had been lying. The lapras' shell may not have been the most comfortable thing but sitting on Emma allowed her to be out and about without having to walk.

"Come on Shira," Diego said, trotting along the side Shira was closest too. "Jump off and let's have a race!"

"Why race when I know the outcome?" The persian shot back, failing to dissuade the smaller growlithe in the least.

"Just because you won the first twelve times, doesn't mean I won't win this time! Come on, I've been training to run really, really, REALLY fast."

Shira shook her head and laid back down, nestling between the bumps on Emma's shell.

A small smile had ghosted its way across Felix's face, one he suppressed once he caught Keira eying him. "What do you want?" he grouched.

"You to be happy," Keira answered. Her earnest response caused Felix to lose his words for a moment before she added. "As well as burnt popcorn with dark chocolate drizzled over it."

"You and the burnt popcorn," Felix groaned, covering his face with a hand. "There will probably be popcorn somewhere in Rota."

"Not burnt though," Keira pointed out.

"I can burn it!" Diego suggested, grinning up at them before racing off again. "I'll burn it all! For you!"

"Oh dear, I may need to be on hand to douse that cheerful pyromaniac," Emma said offhandedly. "Can't have him burning the place down."

"I have to be out to keep you from hiding in some hole you dig." Keira grinned, nudging Felix and waggling her ears.

"I'm going to be out because I said so," Shira added and finally Felix smiled.

"Okay, okay," he waved his hands at the sly pokémon. "Like I was going to put you in your balls anyway. If I have to suffer, you're all going to suffer with me."

"Nuh uh," Keira wagged a short toe on her paw at him. "You've got to socialise with the humans. That means we won't be glued to your little dark storm of depression, we'll be out having fun."

"Wait," Felix blinked. "What? You can't leave me alone! Undefended. What if I get attacked?"

"You will have Adrien with you," Emma said. "Unless you are thinking of setting him out during a festival?"

"Around so many people?" Felix gasped. "Of course not!"

"And we won't be THAT far away," Shira added, rolling over into a more comfortable position. "You need help, scream, one of us is bound to hear you."

"How comforting." Felix gave the persian a dark look.

"Plus, we wouldn't be so far away we wouldn't catch you running to some dark, damp, corner," Keira helpfully continued. "We're not that stupid."

"I didn't think you were," Felix huffed, alternating which one of the betrayers he was glaring at.

The sedate levitation carried on for a few minutes of silence before Felix spoke up again. "You're really doing this to me? I don't want to be left alone with a bunch of partying humans. Have you ever been to a festival? It's horrible."

"You haven't been to a festival." Keira swatted his arm. Felix slapped back.

"Have to," he defended. "The farming day."

"Oh, that's not a festival." Keira shook her head. "Barely even counts as a day."

"Well I've seen festivals, and they all look horrible."

"Mostly just loud," Shira said. "Lots of lights and people everywhere." She trailed off after looking at Felix and noticing how ill he looked at the prospect. "But… they are fun as well. Lots of fun."

The human narrowed his eyes at the persian, but Shira's poker face was top notch. "Hmm."

"Come on Felix, you'll love it," Keira urged, patting where she had swatted him earlier. "And if you don't, you'll know for sure!"

"I am pretty sure I won't like it now," Felix snapped.

"But you won't know for sure until you try it," Keira reiterated.

Felix didn't respond verbally. Instead, he gripped Emma's neck once he noticed they were moving faster. The hill they were climbing had been surmounted.

Emma had spotted Rota.

Community Day. A plainly-named holiday that the people of Rota adored.

The city-state, and single town, that made up Rota adored celebrations. While the official holidays were all celebrated with fever, no other holiday experienced the same passion the annual festivals that marked the 'Hero of the Year' and the 'Knight of the People' created.

Community Day. The festival the celebrated the 'Knight of the People', was the festival Felix found himself pulled into.

It didn't take him very long to gather the person this celebration was celebrating. Banners, flags, stained glass windows and more were all adorned with a smiling woman with auburn her and golden eyes.

Lora, the Knight of the People, was apparently a knight who had beholden her loyalties not to the royalty of Rota, but to the ideals that made up Rota. A strong-willed warrior, who viewed the kingdom as the people itself, and sought to serve only them.

Such a manner of acting at the time made her unpopular with the Royals, but to the people of Rota, Lora was beloved.

Nowadays, five hundred years after her abrupt death, the people of Rota still celebrated Lora's life.

And there were a lot of people.

Felix stood among the mass of the partying populace with an expression of uncomfortable unease. His pokémon, all of them bar Adrien, had already melted into the celebration. Looking carefully, he thought he might be able to spot Emma, the lapras being quite large and easily seen, but he couldn't be sure.

Only the reassurance that they would be nearby in case of anything stopped him from doing as they suspected and running away. Plus, he couldn't leave them on the off chance someone took their opportunity with the celebration and tried to steal pokémon.

Although it wouldn't bother him if Jessie or James turned up. They, at least, could be reasoned with. Plus were humans and, as such, his pokémon wouldn't be able to cry foul.

They would anyway, he knew that, but thinking aggressive thoughts was the only thing keeping him standing.

Felix considered the possibility of remaining rooted to the spot he was in. Near the edge, but not entirely, of the party. He was near a table of refreshments, say under a tent just in case of weather. The day was magnificent though, giving the people a proper excuse to start drinking this early.

The likelihood Keira and the others would allow him to remain alone, even among this many humans, was null and void and he knew they were going to start coming for him if he didn't do something soon.

Taking a breath, girding his loins, stilling his hammering heart, Felix took the first step forward. However, as this was a party packed full of people, he walked right into someone.

It was a taller person, an adult woman if his eyes were correct. She glanced behind her at the feeling of something stepping into her and affixed Felix was a glare before moving back into some complicated close-bodied dance routine with a guy much older than Felix.

He looked at the two-people grinding awkwardly, before deciding to move on.

Each step was difficult, it seemed there was always a risk of bumping into someone. There was a miasma of smells, sounds, and sensations, and Felix felt himself begin growing lightheaded. Hoping the dizziness would pass, he staggered onwards, bumping into several people and mumbling slurred apologies.

Each step he took, it seemed another person would crash into him, knocking him in some direction. Sometimes back, sometimes forward, left, right, anywhere and soon enough Felix had no idea where he had ended up.

Everywhere he looked there was just more red-faced people sending their own addition to the cacophony of noise around them.

Drinks were spilled and splashed, many alcoholic beverages landing on Felix, people were already getting drunk and staggering about even worse than Felix. The noise was so much, he couldn't hear himself think.

One too many people kept bumping into him, and some crazy part of Felix's mind decided they were all touching him intentionally. He felt himself grow itchy, hot prickles of uncomfortableness began spreading over his body where people kept brushing up against him. The stickiness of so many drinks started to burn as Felix's heart rate spiked.

A sudden wave of vertigo sent him into a panic and Felix began to cry out, shrieking as he tried to move. At one point he fell over, and someone tripped over him and then there were more people, looking at him. Some seemed angry, others were very confused at seeing a child at a section of the party very clearly marked as adult-only.

Someone tried to grab his arm. To do what, Felix couldn't tell. If they were trying to help him up or throw him out, he didn't register. He only saw a strange person reaching for him, and he panicked.

Kicking, scratching, and crying, Felix crashed his way through the throng of people and ran in whatever direction he could manage.

He impacted into countless people, knocking some inebriated people over, and sending several people sprawling for balance. His vision was half-blind, and he could hear nothing but the pounding of his heart, mixing into the bellow of the music and chorus of the people.

The crowd of people began to thin, and Felix tasted fresh air as he tore himself from that situation. He was running a little too fast and bumped into a sign, knocking it down and staggering forward for a few feet before crumpling himself.

He breathed, and breathed, just hoping that no one would think to check on the downed child. Making sure to show he was fine and well and didn't require the help of anybody, he pushed himself up and stood on wobbly feet.

Someone did call over to him or was just speaking in his direction, but he ignored it in favour of righting the sign.

"Community Day Celebration," he read out loud. "Adult Only. Oh." He glanced back towards the seething tide that had sought to claim him, noticing it was only adults, and that the drinks he saw must have been alcoholic beverages.

Ultimately Felix could only blame his pokémon for that.

Not like he was the only one that could read.

He set the sign so that it didn't fall immediately and began to stiffly walk away. It didn't take long for one of his pokémon to stop him.

"Stop right there!" Keira called, rushing out in front of him and opening her arms as if she was to receive a hug. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Somewhere I can sit down," Felix replied, turning his head and walking off as soon as he said it.

Keira made an undignified sound at the prospect of her human just walking away from her like that and rushed back in front of him. "Oh no you're not," she warned, circling him as he tried to turn away. "You were in there for a minute. That is not enough. Go back now."

"NO," Felix shouted, startling Keira and causing her to step back in reflex.

Taking advantage of her stunned reaction, Felix spun on his heel and began running away. The crowds were much thinner outside of the specialty areas. A few people had stopped to stare at the kid arguing with a riolu, but none audacious enough to step forward and get involved.

Outside of the cacophony of sounds and sensations, Felix was able to run much more effectively; weaving around the festival celebrators with ease.

A bark of fury made him speed up as Keira unfroze and began her pursuit.

"DIEGO," she shouted, voice carrying to everyone pokémon in the vicinity. "STOP HIM."

There was a flash of red as a growlithe burst out of nowhere, rolling with considerable speed in a Flame Wheel. Diego was even faster, and much more coordinated, than Felix and had zipped past him and then in front, laying a line of flames at a safe enough distance for Felix to stop.

He didn't anticipate Felix jumping over the ankle-high flames. Even as Felix jumped, the fire with no fuel had begun to die.

Using a move in the streets during the festival had people glaring at the pokémon, but both Keira and Diego had continued their pursuit to notice anyway.

"EMMA." Keira spotted the lapras chatting happily with a goldeen floating in a controlled bubble of water. "FELIX IS ESCAPING."

Emma blinked and then noticed the fleeing Felix, breathing a short word of apology to her companion, before focusing a steely glare on Felix.

Her own body dropped a foot closer to the ground as she pushed a Psychic towards Felix. He was fast, but her Power was faster.

Felix's speed was an issue, however, and Emma thumped heavily on the ground as she dropped the Psychic on herself completely to focus everything on grabbing her trainer.

Felix was flailing his limbs and shouting something, but she had him. A gentle hold, nothing painful, and she slowly tugged him back. A couple people stepped forward as did multiple pokémon, but a quick word from Emma to the pokémon, and a surly admittance from Felix, caused everyone to back off.

"They're my pokémon," Felix said. "They're just mean."

Emma slowly released her hold on Felix as she dropped the human gently before her. Keira and Diego were panting for breath while an evenly-breathing Shira and a gasping Brian had also appeared. Having easily heard Keira shouting the festival down.

Keira had more shouting to do, unfortunately.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" she shouted, not caring that they were in a relatively quiet place and such volume was unneeded. "YOU'RE HERE FOR A REASON, AND YOU'RE NOT GETTING OUT OF IT.

"Shut UP!" Felix shouted back, causing everyone one of his pokémon to flinch. Except for Keira. "I do not HAVE to do this. YOU are making me, but I hold the pokéball." To demonstrate his point, he tore the pokéball off his belt and enlarged it. "And YOU don't. SO, RETURN."

He flicked the pokéball threateningly at Keira as he spoke, before pressing the return button. Keira dodged the red beam and leaped forward, slapping the ball out of Felix's hand.

"DON'T YOU DARE DO THAT!"

"STOP SHOUTING!"

"FINE!" Keira ground her teeth together before taking a deep breath. "Fine. Let's talk like normal people."

"Yeah?" Felix asked, sarcasm dripping off every word. "That'd be nice. For once. Talking to my pokémon, how normal is that?"

Keira closed her eyes and counted to three before replying. "That's why we are here. To give you a chance to be 'normal.'"

Felix laughed. "I think I lost any chance of normal when I met you the first time."

That touched a nerve and Keira nearly yelled again. "THAt's…" she rolled her head around, neck muscles bulging as she reigned in her temper. "Fine. Fine." It was not fine. "That's how you feel? Good to know." Keira turned around tail ramrod straight and quivering. "I'll just be off then."

"Where are you going?" Felix growled, only to receive no response. "Keira?" Still nothing. "KEIRA?" The riolu still did not make any indication she heard him.

"FINE THEN!" Felix yelled, voice turning raw with all the screaming he'd been doing. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he refused to let anyone see him. "Fine." He turned the opposite direction Keira had faced and began to run, disappearing into the crowd very quickly.

The remaining four pokémon who had watched that entire debacle sat in frozen silence.

"What just…?" Diego began.

"Yeah," Brian said.

"I can't believe Keira just…" Shira muttered.

"Oh dear," Emma whispered. "We'd better go after them."

The other three exchanged glances.

"They went in different directions," Shira pointed out.

"Who's going to go after who?" Brian asked. The cubone was drilling the bone he held into the ground, he seemed to be the closest to panicking at the moment.

"I'll go after Keira," Diego volunteered. "I think Brian should go after Trainer Felix." Brian looked at the growlithe with relief shining in his eyes. Keira in a fit of anger had terrified him.

"I think it'd be best if I went after Felix as well," Shira said, she had begun to lick a paw, but her claws kept unsheathing themselves. "I might not act… particularly kind if I had to see Keira right now."

"Then I'll go with Diego," Emma said. The four nodded and then broke apart. Diego rushing forward with Emma floating as fast as she could, and Shira strolling ahead casually while Brian did his best to keep up.

Keira wasn't hard to find.

The riolu was most commonly a cheerful and competitive pokémon, happy to socialise and always under control of her own emotions.

Sometimes, however, parts of her aura seemed to act outside of her own control and pepper her surrounding beings with flashes of her own emotions. Such occurrences weren't common, and she would gather control of herself quickly.

This was a time a lot like those. Except Keira's emotions seemed to pulse out in an infuriating wave every few moments. She was, and the by-product of her lack of control was inflicting bursts of irrational anger in the ordinarily placid Emma and cheerful Diego.

What was more worrying, however, was the effect she was having on the party goers. Already humans and pokémon were giving each other unpleasant leers, and one or two groups had begun arguing.

Someone shoved someone else.

Emma shook off the foreign anger that wanted to rage for no reason, and instead pushed forward, hoisting herself higher into the air with Psychic.

Diego's nose was good, but with everyone about, and Keira's anger-aura, she felt that a bird's eye was a wise choice.

Not that being so high up was pleasant, but the anger was causing her to act a little impulsively.

"Diego there!" Emma called, spotting Keira. The growlithe seemed to fail to hear her. "Diego? DIEGO?" the sudden shriek of the flying lapras was noticed by a lot of people, and Emma quickly floated back down into the crowd, face burning in embarrassment.

Diego met her right as she landed, awkwardly pawing back and forth. "Sorry," he said. "Was too focused to hear you."

"No, I'm sorry," Emma soothed, feeling guilty for yelling. "I shouldn't have done that. No matter what's going on."

They smiled at each other, anger passed. Then another wave of fury emanated out from the nearby Keira, hitting the two with a much more concentrated burst of her rage.

"Yelling hurt my feelings," Diego huffed, turning his nose towards the direction Keira was in. Emma nearly bit her tongue, repeating it was not anyone's fault that they were getting short tempered.

"Let's just find Keira and put an end to this," she suggested, and the pair began to move.

Keira was kicking a piece of broken pavement around, breaking it into smaller and smaller fragments. There was a wide berth around her, everyone instinctively moving away from the enraged riolu.

Lucario is well known and respected in Rota, but riolu were also treated with extra caution. They didn't always have control over their aura abilities and not just once had a situation developed because of one.

"Keira?" Emma called, floating into her range. The riolu crushed the remains of her pavement in her paws and turned to the pair.

"What?" she growled.

"We've come to cheer you up," Diego explained, shifting uncomfortably when Keira moved her glare to him. "We can play chase, and hide and seek, and-"

"Not. Interested," Keira seethed. "Go find Felix and make sure he hasn't fallen off a bridge yet."

"Shira and Brian are already on their way to him," Emma said, trying to speak in her usual soothing tones, a challenge when Keira kept bleeding anger into her. "We are concerned for you."

"Well I didn't ask for concern," Keira snapped, turning away from then and pacing side to side. "I didn't ask to be saved by some stupid human with more stubbornness than sense either. But here we are."

Keira stopped pacing and turned to look at them again. "Did you know I punched him TWICE trying to make him leave me alone. But nooooo. No. He just kept coming back. That stupid idiot, he has no idea he could have died that night." Keira threw her paws up into the air with a growl and began pacing again, muttering. "Idiot." Under her breath continuously.

Diego and Emma exchanged a glance, not sure how to take a statement like that. Thankfully, Keira saved them from responding by continuing to rant. "And now he's always in danger. If it's not rampaging aerodactyl crashing planes and trying to eat him, it's psychotic pikachu trying to electrocute and carve him up, or vileplume trying to poison and drain him, or evil humans trying to use and kill him. And you know WHY it's always like this?"

Keira spun on them, staring hysterically into both Emma and Diego's eyes. "It's me. It has to be me. If I just left like I was going to he wouldn't be in danger. He'd be safe, and secure, and normal. Not risking those damned houndoom hunting me down and-" Keira cut herself off there, wilting suddenly and all the anger seemed to just disappear. "Normal. That's what he'd be. Safe too…" Keira sniffled, and Emma felt sadness wash over her, not entirely due to Keira's aura now hitting them with melancholy.

She floated forward and nuzzled the riolu, humming a soothing tune under her breath. "Why'd he have to say that?" she whimpered. "Does he really regret meeting me? He saved me, you know. And I've paid him back by getting him in so much trouble. He doesn't even know about the stuff that's really, definitely, my fault."

Diego plodded up and poked his nose is as well, causing Keira to sigh and push them away. "Look," she said. "I need to blow off some steam, fight someone, alone." She began to walk away, but Emma disagreed.

"Keira," she called. "Just come back with us, we'll find Felix, you can apologise, and everyone can be happy again."

Keira stopped, and turned around, a sharp spike of irritation hitting the unprepared lapras. "No. This isn't just 'oh I'm sorry, all is forgiven' kind of deal. I. Need. Time. Leave me alone until I'm ready."

She spun back around and stomped off, angry again and needing to fight something.

"Well I never," Emma huffed and shook her head. "If you are going to act so rude perhaps I should give you time to cool off." She snorted and rotated herself, pointing towards where she remembered the lake edge to be. "Maybe I'll just do the same."

Not giving Diego so much as a glance, Emma floated off. The growlithe was confused, he really didn't see the natural progression of Keira being angry, then sad, then angry again and now Emma was upset as well?

Sure, Keira had been having trouble holding onto her abilities, but he wasn't affected so much. Cocking his head, he considered his next move. Keira had said she wanted time to calm down, while Emma had said something of a similar effect, but Keira had told it to both of them, while Emma seemed to have mentioned it to herself.

Deciding to go after the one less likely to punch him in his sniffer, Diego pointed his nose to the ground and began following the salty scent Emma smelled of.

Only, there was a particularly interesting smell among all the others. One that Diego felt the need to divert his path to follow.

The smell was of fire, power, experience. Also, something delightful, and kind of soapy. It was all from the one thing and very confusing.

It didn't take long to find the owner of the mystery smell. An arcanine, more relaxed than all the other ones Diego had ever met.

It was fluffy, brawny, regal, and hopping around instead of walking.

"Hello," Diego barked, catching the attention of the lone arcanine. The more prominent canine cocked his head, staring down at the much smaller growlithe. Diego cocked his head as well, and they exchanged greetings in that way only they could.

"Hello," the arcanine barked back, before falling into a pouncing position and creeping forward. "You smell like angry that's not your own."

"Yep," Diego replied, nodding. "My friends are both mad, not at me or each other, well my trainer friend is, his name is Felix, and he's really nice, but he doesn't talk to other human-peoples, and my friend who was mad that made the smell got mad at him for running off, and now I'm looking for my friend, not my human-people-friend or Keira-riolu-friend, but my Emma-lapras-friend because she got mad as well."

"Let's find her!" the arcanine gasped, understanding everything Diego just said. "And we can race because I smell someone who smells just like you, mad but not their own!"

"Does she smell like the ocean?" Diego asked.

"Yes!" the arcanine cheered.

"You're on!" Diego fell into a pounce position himself, and the arcanine copied him.

"Go!"

They sped off, racing each other for some reason known only to them.

"Oh no," Felix moaned, looking around at the endless brick that surrounded him. "Where am I?" He had run so far, so blindly, that he had no idea how far into Rota he had gotten himself lost. There had been twists and turns, and he was sure he had found himself in some pocket dimension as he could hear the crowd, distantly, in every direction, so following the noise was not helpful.

Resigning himself to wandering around for the next forever, Felix chose a direction and began plodding forward.

Besides the distant sounds of celebration, there were no signs of life around. No pokémon, or even small bugs, were about, no humans wandering to-and-fro, there was only silence. And the occasional plant.

"Oh man, why did I have to run this far?" Felix whispered as he continued walking. The emptiness of the area was making him almost as uncomfortable as the crowds had. Although the fear was still the same; he wasn't worried that he was alone with no one in sight, he was worried he wasn't alone.

These fears were valid.

"Excuse me?" a sudden voice announced itself and Felix jumped in alarm. He nearly sprinted off, but the voice hadn't been particularly terrifying, more inquisitive than anything malevolent.

He turned to see a curious pair approach him. One was undoubtedly one of the lucky few that reached Rota early and got first dibs on the costumes the palace lent out for the festival. The human woman of the pair had dressed in the same fashion as everyone who participated in the costume contest, dressing herself up as a knight. Her companion was clearly a ninetales, the nine tails were an easy giveaway, but who's fur was a stunning bluish snowy white.

Even from his distance, Felix could detect an aura of 'something' around the strange ninetales.

The woman noticed him gawking at her partner and gave a laugh, moving her arm a little strangely as she covered her mouth. "I assume you haven't encountered a ninetales birthed from the islands of Alola?"

Felix snapped out of his bedazzlement when he realised he was being addressed and shook his head. "N-no I haven't," he briefly stuttered and immediately chastised himself for it.

"This is Jin, a breed of ninetales who has adapted in a most particular way to the climate of Alola. Say hello Jin."

"Greetings," the ninetales barked to Felix, before looking up at his companion with a look Felix couldn't identify.

"You seem lost?" the woman asked. "May we escort you to where you need to be?" She gave a smile and reached out a hand for him to take.

"I…" Felix hesitated, there was something a little strange about the woman. He met her eyes but found only sincerity there. Only sincerity. "Okay."

He went to reach out, but the ninetales barked, and the woman seemed to realise she was making him uncomfortable. "Let us be off then." She began to walk, gesturing for him to follow.

The ninetales brushed up against him, one or four tails briefly sliding against his legs. The action comforted Felix in a way he did not realise, and he began walking in kind with them.

"What has brought you so far into the housing conurbation?" the woman asked, causing Felix to frown in confusion.

"The what?" he asked.

"My apologies." She smiled blandly. "The housing districts. It is some distance from the festival celebrating the blessed Lora."

Immediately, Felix frowned, turning away from the question. He glanced to his side, noticing the exotic ninetales walking along with his other side and staring right at him. He felt that the ninetales were judging him for turning away from his trainer and Felix sighed. "I got into an argument with my pokémon," he admitted.

There was a brief moment where he could only hear his footsteps, causing Felix to turn to the woman in question. "An argument, you say?" she asked, having taken a moment to consider her response.

In an instant, Felix was verbally backpaddling. "Uh, I no. No! I just meant, you know, we had a fight. She was nasty, yelling at me but I couldn't get what she was saying, her meaning was pretty clear though, and pokémon understand us, you know. So, we just had a fight."

He knew he was babbling, and blushing crimson, but it was essential such things were made clear. Precisely what he and Keira had argued about before storming off flashed through his mind and Felix nearly went redder at the irony.

"Of course," a voice as smooth as butter said, causing Felix to glance back at the ninetales on sheer reflex. "The meaning is quite clear."

The ninetales met his eyes, and Felix felt himself grow cold for reasons beyond the typing of this exotic ninetales. Jin's eyes flicked past Felix in a silent meaning, and Felix glanced back to the ninetales trainer. She held a most thoughtful expression, one that made Felix feel inexplicably better at the substance of her appearance.

"Tell me, Felix," she began, eyes staring right through him and reverting Felix's pleasant feelings back to null. "What do you know of Empowered Humans?"

Diego had lost track of his playmate.

He wasn't sure how. They were neck and neck despite the arcanine's speed; the sheer size made the other be forced to slow down to avoid the many humans and pokémon that covered the streets. Yet as Diego felt his heart soar, the smell of Emma grew closer, the scent of his racing buddy vanished.

He had continued running, too excited with his lead to fall for any tricks, but even after arriving at the lakefront, there was no sign of the arcanine.

Diego's ears fell flat as he bemoaned the loss of his friend, but there wasn't much time to dwell on what could have been, there was an excessive amount of splashing nearby, along with sounds Diego decided were lasers.

The growlithe was correct on both fronts. Emma was throwing up waves and firing Ice Beams with nearly no restraint. The sheer sight of Emma, the peaceful, non-violent, lapras committing so much of her Power into destruction astounded Diego for a moment.

When a stray wave, a mere ripple to what was going on, hit him with enough force to nearly knocking him out, Diego decided he shouldn't have been gaping.

"Ew, bleh." He spat and coughed. "I drank some of it. Ooh!" he yipped as the sensation hit him. "COLD!"

Diego enveloped himself in a fire to help heat his mouth back up and was hit by another wave.

"Ow…" he whimpered. One attack was one thing, two Water type-infused-Powers was getting to him. "Emma?" he called, hoping the lapras would hear him over her rampage. "EMMMMMAAAAAA!"

Howling to the sky, the legends, and his friend seemed to finally carry enough for her to hear him.

"Wha?" she gasped and flicked her head to the lakefront. It was drenched. Water had flowed far enough to begin dripping close to the edge of the party and more than a few people were glancing her way in concern. "Oh dear…"

"You… woo… good?" Emma cringed as the voice of her opponent reached her, gasping between words to catch his breath.

"Oh, um…" she winced as she positioned herself back to facing the dewgong. The fellow Water and Ice pokémon had surfaced out from the lake during her little episode and asked her to calm down. She had been freezing an unnecessary amount of water. Emma had responded by throwing down the proverbial gauntlet and then hitting the dewgong in the face with a fist of ice.

"You look like your hearing sense again," the dewgong said, although he was keeping a healthy distance. "Are you okay?"

"Am I…?" Emma gasped and then bent her head in shame. "I am so sorry. I have no idea what came over me… no, that's not correct. I know exactly, but I am still sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble, I didn't mean to hurt you. I am so, so, sorry." Tears were filling her eyes, and the dewgong seemed to accept she had, in fact, returned to her senses.

Swimming closer he began soothing her. "Hey, look at me." Emma did so. "No one was hurt. I'm fine, most of the damage was just done to the lakefront, and everyone got out with time to spare. Looks like it's just your friend over there who got particularly wet." Emma flipped herself around, gasping as she saw the soaked Diego.

"Diego!" she immediately swam forward, lifting herself out of the water with a Psychic. Although she was drained, and the move was slightly more difficult to manage than normal. "Oh, you poor dear, what have I done? I've hurt you, oh my gosh, oh. My. Gosh!" Emma was nearly shrieking in alarm.

"I'm good," Diego quickly reassured her, shaking himself into an even more wet mess and then lit himself on fire. It took a few goes, but he managed it. "All dry too. No need to worry."

"Oh." Emma bent her head down low. "That's when I worry the most. Diego?" she asked, taking a moment to prepare herself for the worst. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"For what?" Was Diego's response. Came with a head cock Emma always found endearing.

"For, uh." She hesitated, not entirely certain how to respond in the face of such an easy dismissal. "For attacking you, nearly drowning you, harming you."

"I'm fine," Diego reassured, waving a paw down. He then noticed his paw and bit it. "Ow. See. That hurt." He licked his paw. "The water was just a bath I didn't want. But now Trainer-Felix can't give me one! So, thanks." He finished with a happy bark and Emma found herself feeling absolved.

"Looks like you're in good hmm…" the dewgong said, reminding Emma it was still there. She flipped around to see the dewgong staring at his flippers. "I was going to saw hands, but your friend has paws, and I have flippers so am I meant to say good flippers?" He looked to Emma as if she had the answer.

"I, uh…"

"Oh, don't mind me." The dewgong waved her away. "Just contemplating my handless existence. You go find your friends, I need to do something."

He dived down and then the lake was calm. A few humans and pokémon were creeping forward, expecting the chaos to be over and Emma decided it was time to move on.

"Oh, one more thing!" The dewgong was back, and Emma waited respectfully. "It's not healthy to always keep anger and stuff bottled in. Or else this kind of thing can happen." He gestured to the calm and gentle lake. "You know what I mean. I get you're not much of a fighter, and that's fine, but there are other ways to let off steam without letting it all build up. Just have fun with it. Bye." And then he was gone. Again.

"Let's find Keira," Emma said, after a moment of silence. "Diego?" she asked when she noticed the growlithe wasn't following. "Diego?"

"Hmm?" the fire canine started before shaking his head and trotting over to you. "Just thought I smelled something I smelled before but didn't remember it because it was different, but the same too." Emma blinked at him, Diego blinked back. "Can I get a ride? I wore myself out running over here." Emma smiled and gently picked him up in her Psychic, setting him on her shell and began to float on as Diego chattered on. "I was racing this really cool arcanine, but along the way, when I was winning, he just went and disappeared…"

"You know, I heard some crazy stuff from the other pokémon about this Community Day," Brian said, attempting to start a conversation. For the fifth time.

"Hmm," Shira grunted, barely paying attention.

"Yeah," Brian continued, hoping he could say anything to get some attention. "The human woman all these other human people had TWO pokémon as her partners."

"I see," Shira still wasn't paying attention.

"This was weird because, at the time, humans only had one because they didn't have the thingies… the… the balls that they can put us in. What are those called again?"

"Pokéball's." Okay, Shira was listening to a degree.

"Yeah! But the other crazy thing is that one of them died on the same day she did. Talk about being loyal to the end. Didn't even die with her, just went on a rampage after she died and was done in herself. The two of them saved this place that way, I think." Brian crooked his bone under his chin to think for a moment. "That's what I heard at least. But here's the crazy thing. The craziest I mean."

Shira continued searching for her trainer. Her sense of smell wasn't nearly as defined as the mutts, but she could still use it. There were so many humans, though, and she could scarcely hope to find his scent.

"The other partner was a ninetales! A ninetales!" Brian repeated, hoping Shira would see the significance of this. "A nine- okay. But you know how long those things live for right? I do. At least, I heard they can live long enough to still be alive now. I mean, that one. The ninetales that were with the knight-human-lady. What if she's still alive now?" Then his expression, under the skull, turned dreamy. "Then I can meet her. Imagine what that'd be like…"

Shira let the strange cubone swoon, as long as he didn't impair her search she didn't care.

Unfortunately, while he wasn't impairing her search, that she knew of, she still couldn't find a trace of Felix. "Curses!" she snapped, hissing and unsheathing her claws. Brian, wisely, ducked back as Shira tore into the ground for a moment. "Where on this world did that moron disappear to?"

"I dunno," Brian mumbled, unwisely attracting Shira's attention. "I mean! What if he isn't in this world anymore? He might have fallen… into… a new…" his head fell lower and lower as Shira's expression grew more murderous. "He's probably just hiding."

"I will find him," Shira swore, growling lowly in her chest. "And unless you'd like to keep that skull on, you'd better help me."

"I CAN HELP!"

Both cubone and persian flinched as a shrill voice screeched right next to them. Shira jumped after she noticed the aipom in their midst while Brian forgot Shira was there and stepped forward confidently.

"Why hello," he purred, making an off-putting chattering noise. "I am Brian, or cubone, whatever you want to call me cutie."

"Oh, for the love of." Shira turned away, intending to just leave Brian behind.

"I know where your human is!" The aipom giggled, causing Shira to spin back around on her and pounce.

The little primate was slippery, however, and she had already leaped clear of Shira. "To slow," she teased, giggling again. "Catch me if you can." She spanked Brian on the nose and then her own rear before sprinting off on all fours.

"Catch it!" Shira snarled, bursting forward in her own speedy blitz. To her surprise, and against all known physical laws that made sense to her, Brian was already ahead of her and gaining on the aipom fast. "How?" Shira said under her breath before deciding to bury the memory of this chase where she hid all the other things she didn't want to deal with.

The aipom quickly led them out of the central city and into the suburban areas, squeezing through cracks and crevices, things that Brian smashed through obliviously and Shira leaped clear over.

Despite Shira's certainty that she was the fastest of the three, she was very clearly being left in the dust. Soon it was only the remains of what Brian had barrelled through that led her along the right track.

Not five minutes had passed before she realised that this aipom was likely taunting them. Immediately after that thought, Shira sped up, enraged at the idea that this aipom would play such a cruel prank at this crucial time.

Her claws out, Shira began giving off sparks as she ran, curling around corners with supreme grace and leaving her mark across Rota.

Despite herself and all the magnificence that the persian was, Shira still tripped over Brian.

She would deny all fault in the situation. And that it even happened. But right as she slid around a corner, the cubone was there, lying motionless on the ground. Shira had no time to react and hit him, sending her face into the ground for a painful moment and flipping in a panicked spiral until she stopped somersaulting.

"Liz, I don't want to get up," Shira moaned against the ground. "Let me sleep."

"Which dragonite hit me?" Brian groaned, sprawled on his back.

"Ugh," Shira groaned as she forced herself to her feet. "Where did she go?" she hissed, eyes darting around for any sign of the aipom.

Oddly enough, however, the mention of the aipom seemed to inflict critical damage upon Brian. The cubone had been getting up, bracing himself with his bone, but at the mention of the aipom he twitched, hand slipped, and he crashed face-first into the ground.

This did not cause for alarm in Shira. When Brian began to shiver, however, her concern began to flicker to life. "Brian?" she asked, almost with care in her voice. "What happened?"

"Nothing!" Brian squeaked, flinching so severely he managed to bounce back to his feet. "Nothing at all. Nothing happened. Nothing would ever happen. So, nothing happened!" Brian panted for breath and then swooned. "Oh, nothing… nothing… I swear." He staggered and fell back onto his belly. "Nothing."

Shira would have considered putting some concern towards the clearly mentally-unstable Brian, but her ears stopped ringing, and she realised she could hear the rumble of the crowd again. "Oh, she better not have!" Shira hissed, darting forward.

Brian shivered alone as Shira disappeared from his sight. "Nothing…"

"Oh, she DID!" Shira was back and was spitting in fury. "That aipom led us in a circle, we are even farther back then we were before. Oh, I am going to rip and TEAR!" Shira prowled off, muttering the most violent of death threats as she went.

"Oh and pick yourself up and go find the others!" Shira called from afar. "You're only slowing me down."

With a final hiss and snarl, Shira was gone.

"Why did he play me?" Brian whimpered. "I am conflicted!"

"What do you know of Empowered Humans?" The question hung in the air for a moment, heavy and deep.

"Nothing?" Felix answered, truthfully. He had never heard of the term before.

"Hmm," the woman hummed and turned her gold eyes to the ninetales. "Jin," she said and nodded.

"Very well," the ninetales spoke, in his voice that was pleasing enough that Felix simply valued having heard it. "Human whelp, do you understand my words?"

Felix hesitated. He hadn't noticed they had all stopped walking, or for how long they had stood in place.

Or that the woman was walking in place.

"I…" he stalled and turned his head from ninetales to human. "What do you want from me?" he asked, giving the question out to both of them.

Perhaps mercifully, perhaps not, the woman stepped past him and stood next to her ninetales, giving Felix one position to face.

"A curiosity," the woman said, a strange inflection to her voice. Almost as if the motions her mouth was making didn't fit the right timing.

"What's curious?" Felix asked, and victorious smirks lit over both faces.

"Aha!" the woman laughed. "I said nothing."

"It was I," the ninetales continued as the woman closed her mouth and kept it shut. "I can simply mimic my trainer's voice," he said, voice much higher and precisely the voice Felix had just heard.

The young trainer was stunned and frozen. "Ah."

"Do not be alarmed, young person," the woman said, adopting a gentle smile to help put him at ease. "I understand it can be quite frightening. To have something that makes you different and afraid of how others may react to such a gift."

One eye began tearing up, but Felix suppressed the urge to cry or to remember what Keira had said. "Well, I, I didn't, I mean…" he trailed off, not sure how he was going to deny this.

And, curiously enough, this person who knew, but was smiling kindly instead of acting cruelly, was making him feel less terrified to his very soul.

"I can explain a little?" the woman offered, giving Felix some space. "To help you understand yourself some more."

Felix hesitated, he mutely noted today seemed to be filled with hesitation but was this not exactly what his pokémon had been trying to get him to do? Interact with another human. One that seemed to be offering answers on top of it all.

"Okay." Felix nodded, waiting with a mixture of fear and hope.

The woman nodded as her ninetales sat on his haunches. He breathed out audibly, and ice began to dance in the air, twisting and shaping to become images.

Felix watched wide-eyed as the woman began speaking.

"Humanity has long envied pokémon for the powers they wield." As she spoke, the images crystallised into artwork depicting early humans. "Despite conquering much of the world and becoming the most expansive species to ever exist, some things have always seemed out of reach."

The images shattered and reformed, becoming pictures that depicted war, peace, fighting, harmony. "It is a remarkable thing about humans that such powerless beings, when truly determined, can achieve what is thought impossible."

Images depicting the pokéball, the Pokémon League, the end of the last war, and the creation of the internet flashed into place.

"While much has been achieved as a species, some individuals manage further than that. Achieving what long thought truly outside humanities reach. Empowered Humans." The ice shaped itself into a human with a ring of fire around him. A human lifting a massive globule of water over her head. A human controlling aura as he infused it into a crystal tree. And a human lifting many objects with her mind.

"There is not enough time to even scratch the surface of the ways humans can, and have, become empowered," the woman said, beginning to frown. "But as a human who can understand the speech pokémon use, I can be confident in saying you have some form of empowerment. What form, be it an aura, psychic, or something even more exotic I cannot begin to guess."

Felix swallowed, this was definitely something he felt could change some things dramatically. If nothing else, answers would be appreciated. "I began hearing pokémon when I was six, the same day I met my first pokémon. The one I, uh… had an argument with today."

Face burning slightly, Felix gave a short bow. "Is there anything more you can tell me?"

He looked up and was disappointed by the expressions he received. More so from the ninetales as the lady had a blank expression.

"I'm afraid there just isn't enough time to go over so much…" the woman said, shaking her auburn hair. It flowed around her head. "I would like to know more about this companion of yours you have had a disagreement though. Perhaps there is something there that may help?"

As Diego and Emma returned the way they came, they braced for the worst. Keira was a small ball of rage and fur when she was upset, and they fully expected a litter of broken bodies and a crazed riolu cackling over them.

What they actually found, however, was Keira chatting amiably with a sleek pokémon neither of them recognised.

Staring, moving only because Emma forgot to turn on her breaks, they came close enough to catch the tail end of their conversation. "And I just think that sometimes he's too careful? I know that doesn't make sense with everything else I've been talking about, but does it really need to make sense? Feelings?"

The mystery pokémon shook its head.

"Exactly! Felix could do with being a little more impulsive, just to have some harmless fun. I know he feels more comfortable playing it safe, but I really just want him to be happy. But is my idea of happy-making him unhappy?"

The other pokémon smiled and laid a paw on Keira head, long sleeve-like fur tickling her nose. "The struggle you face. Know you can work with Felix. Joy found together."

"Jeez, thanks Mienshao." Keira smiled, blowing a bit of fur out of her eyes. The mystery pokémon, mienshao, smiled and took her hand off Keira's head.

"Companions have sought you out." She nodded, and Keira turned around, brightening when she spotted Emma and Diego.

"Hey, guys!" She waved and then paused, lowering her paw slowly and glancing worriedly at Mienshao. "I was cruel to them."

"Friends forgive," Mienshao reassured and gave Keira a gentle push.

The riolu stepped forward, looking usually bashful. "Hey, I'm…" she hesitated and took a breath. "Sorry. I really acted out of line and frankly just embarrassingly. Can you forgive me?"

Diego leaped off Emma and Keira braced herself, expecting a Flame Wheel to the face. She was still tackled, but only to be lathered with licks.

"Ew, get off," Keira laughed displacing Diego and knocking him off her, gently of course. She meeped when she began to float but relaxed when it was just Emma coming in for a nuzzle.

After using a bit of water to wash off the growlithe slobber.

"We are glad to hear it," Emma said, lowering Keira and releasing her from the, slightly painful, Psychic hold. "And I am sorry too. I acted far worse than you it seems."

"I'm happy you're happy!" Diego cheered running in a circle and barking as he bit at his tail. "Now let's find everyone else, and I can tell everyone about the awesome race I won against a big arcanine."

"Perhaps we should wait for them to find us," Emma suggested as Diego began running circles around them.

"Yeah." Keira agreed. "Looking for someone who's looking for you never works out. Assuming they're actually…" she trailed off, ears twitching.

"They are," Emma said. "I am certain of it."

Keira smiled and thanked her. "And thank you too-oh?" Keira had turned to thank her mienshao friend before she left. But the wise pokémon seemed to have already left, confident she was alright now. Still, Keira said it anyway. "Thank you Mienshao!"

She waved in a random direction, hoping she knew.

"Yeah!" Diego agreed. "Thanks, Mineshow," he added, butchering the name. "Let's race to the lake, that's where they'd look for us." All in the same breath, Diego was off.

"Oh, you think you can beat me?" Keira laughed, running after Diego. Emma shook her head, amused at the actions of two pokémon actually older than her.

"Oh what the hell," she said, giggling at the minor curse. Emma rose up higher into the sky and tossed herself like a frisbee. "I shall win!" She called to all who could hear.

Many people would speak of the day they say a flying, spinning, lapras during Community Day. These people would be laughed at, but the rumour would persist.

"What is with this maze of a city?" Shira snarled. She had picked a different direction after returning to where she and Brian had entered initially, but the new route was no more helpful. All the same, brick and mortar, brick and mortar.

"If only something would just happen," she growled, feeling the need to slice something up. Maybe something that could plead for mercy, something she would… give. Ultimately, as she was not that terrible.

"Hello?"

Something happened. Shira wasn't sure what she was expecting after saying those words, a pikachu was not it.

Immediately, instantaneously, Shira was all claws and Power. A Power Gem lit up on her forehead as her claws lengthened further into Night Slashes. The one thing that stayed her constant assault was the pikachu immediately holding its hands up and freezing.

"Hey, hey, hey!" He said rapidly. "Woah there, calm down, I'm not looking for trouble."

Shira's glare could drill holes if she had the Power too. She did not, and so instead she breathed in. No scent of blood, or the overall toxic feeling that surrounded that other pikachu she had the misfortune to know.

Very, very, slowly her forehead Power Gem died down and the Dark energy roiling around her claws faded. Shira sniffed disdainfully and began licking a paw, having to focus hard on retracting the claws on that foot.

"You seem on edge," the pikachu noted, looking a bit better now that the Armageddon about to be unleashed upon him had been retracted.

Her claws shot out again, nicking her tongue. Shira didn't react, she only stared into the lavender eyes of the pikachu.

Slowly, tasting blood, she lowered her paw. "What do you want?" she growled, nerves fraying to dangerous levels.

"I just noticed you wandering around all alone and was wondering why you weren't at the celebration?" the pikachu explained.

"Why aren't you at the celebration?" Shira shot back.

"Okay." The pikachu raised his arms again, waving her down. "Fair enough. I saw the tizzy that your trainer and teammate got into and followed to make sure he didn't get into any trouble."

"You followed my trainer?" Shira narrowed her eyes. One on paw she didn't like the thought of a pikachu following her trainer. On the other, he may know where Felix was. On the third, she had been led astray by another small and cute pokémon already. On the fourth, she really didn't have time for this.

"Just to make sure he didn't get completely lost!" the pikachu argued, easily sensing her tone. "He's fine. Jin's with him right now leading him back to the celebration."

"Who?" If Shira could narrow her eyes any further, she could. Instead, she had to rely on the pure murderous aura emanating from her.

"Uh, yeah." The pikachu nodded. "If you'd like I'll take you to them. They're not too far from here."

Shira stepped forward, a Night Slash bursting over one set of claws. "If you dare to try anything," she threatened, leaving the words hanging. The pikachu eyed her Dark energy-infused claw and visibly swallowed.

"I'm just trying to help."

Shira lowered the paw and gestured. "Lead on then." She made sure the pikachu was easily within striking range as he began to lead her.

They walked in silence, the silence that Shira heartily enjoyed. As today was not her day, the silence was not to last.

"So what made you decide to go with a human?" The pikachu asked, turning his head slightly to look back at her. Shira stared stonily forward, but the pikachu simply repeated his question.

Seven times.

"Because Keira made me," Shira snapped, hoping to shut him up. The pikachu hummed and nodded.

"I've heard a lot of answers," he admitted. "Friendship. Respect. Isolation. Duty. And much more. Never got that exact one though."

He grinned, and Shira bared her teeth back, but it seemed to affect him less and less each time she did something threatening.

Rolling her eyes, Shira decided to indulge the annoyance. "They were having trouble with a Gym Leader. Still am, that Psychic is still undefeated for us. And Keira wanted to even the playing field, and maybe work out some frustration. She found me, she challenged me, insulted me, bartered, everything until she annoyed me enough to fight. A bit like you right now." Shira unsheathed her claws, but the pikachu grinned.

"So she beat you then?"

Immediately Shira retracted her claws, knowing that he was just not smart enough to be afraid of her. Or perhaps too bright. "Yes. The deal was if she won, I'd join her odd human that could understand pokémon. I really didn't believe her, but then Felix came around and was conversing with us all. So there's that at least."

"Sounds like you don't have any connection to your trainer," the pikachu pointed out. "Why do you stay with him then? If he can understand you can't you just ask to be let go?"

Shira's hackles rose, and she hissed. "You understand nothing!" She scowled and composed herself. "What of you, do you have a trainer?"

"Nope."

"Then my point stands. You cannot possibly understand why I remain," she reiterated.

"Well duh," the pikachu laughed. "That's why I'm asking. Helps understand, even if it's just one pokémon's opinion."

"Felix is a good human," Shira snapped back. "Understanding, even beyond just hearing the words, he understands us. He doesn't push even when he's curious, doesn't make us fight if we don't want to. He pushes himself farther than he should just to feed us sometimes and swallows any and all of his fears to try and be a better human for us. Something some of us don't even deserve!"

Breathing heavily, Shira tossed her head at the pikachu. "There. Is that what you desired to know so much?"

"What about the riolu?" the pikachu asked. "Are you loyal to her since she is the one you made a deal with?"

"Keira," Shira rumbled, feeling a significant surge of anger towards the riolu. "She thinks she knows so much all the time. Sometimes I think she believes she knows how to be human better than Felix. She's not always wrong, but she doesn't seem to know when to stop. Even though she's been with Felix for years now, she still goes too far with him. Even Adrien knows when to stop, even if he doesn't need it."

"Sounds like you are angry at Keira?" the pikachu pointed out, causing Shira to toss her head and growl all over again.

"You are right to the damned pits I am angry at Keira!" Shira sped up, nearly overtaking the pikachu before calming down. "She went too far. She had better apologise, or else."

"Surely she isn't all bad?" her electrical companion asked. "What is good about Keira?"

"At the moment?" Shira snorted. "Nothing."

"Don't let your emotions cloud your thinking."

Shira growled at him, but the pikachu met her gaze without flinching.

"…She's a good leader," Shira admitted, frowning as if the admittance left a bad taste in her mouth. "She has a good head, most of the time. Strong too. Not just in battle, but in spirit and willpower. She keeps us all working even when Felix would go too soft on us and makes sure we are always prepared for anything. Which is fortunate considering what comes after us sometimes."

Shira sighed, feeling her anger begin to erode. "I respect Keira. I believe she thinks she's doing the right thing with Felix here, but she just goes too far. You can't throw someone in a final battle without training them up for it first. I never should have gone along with her suggestion, but she made it sound so important. We don't want Felix to become alienated from his own species. Ugh… what are you doing? Is this your grand plan? Make me not angry anymore?"

The pikachu laughed. "You are a sharp one and not just the claws." He winked and sparked a cheek, nodding forwards. "Just in time too."

"Keira is just the best partner I could have hoped for," Felix had been talking a storm about his favourite riolu for the past ten minutes, almost dazzling the pair with how much he could talk when comfortable. "She's crazy, but in that fun way. We're almost nothing alike, and yet we still get along so well. She teaches me a lot of things, things you wouldn't expect a riolu, or a pokémon in general, to know. And I like to think I help her too, but it's mostly her."

"Hahaha," the woman, Laura she said her name was, laughed. "It sounds like Keira is quite the partner."

"She really is." Felix grinned back. "She gets a little hard on me when she thinks I need to talk to other humans more, but mostly she's great."

"Hmm," Laura hummed. "Not necessarily too hard."

Felix frowned. "What? You think she's right?" He didn't like the thought of that. Sure, he was fine talking to Laura, but most people were a different story.

"It's just a small thing, more of a rumour really," Laura started off, the sounds of the party had grown louder. "But there have been myths of people turning into pokémon. And one thing that most of these myths have in common is that the root seed of that myth was an Empowered Human. Empowered Humans are much more like pokémon you see, being able to wield the same Power. I can't say for sure, certainly not, but keeping human bonds is something you should endeavour towards, not see as a chore."

Felix had gone slightly pale at Laura's words and gave a sharp nod. "Okay. Thanks for telling me that… I think."

Laura laughed as her ninetales stepped onto Felix's right side. "I don't wish to frighten you, perhaps it is just a story made to encourage Empowered Humans to socialise more?" She winked, jokingly. "It's not too bad right?"

"Right." Felix smiled again.

Laura shook her head and let her hair fall about, now properly acting within the grasp of gravity. Felix wanted to ask if Laura was Empowered, and that was why she felt a little off to him earlier, but he couldn't think of a way to phrase it that wouldn't be extremely rude.

Sighing slightly, Laura laid a gentle hand on Felix's shoulder while Jin stared on. "When you return, how do you think you'll greet your riolu?" she asked.

This, Felix, was stumped on. "I… uh… well. I don't know." He crossed his arms. While he knew Keira was just trying to help, she had still said some very upsetting things. "She shouldn't have said what she said. That was mean for no reason. She has to apologise, or I won't forgive her."

He glanced up to see Lora meeting his eyes. He saw pain, wisdom, and something resembling regret in her eyes.

"Friends are bound to meet some conflicts along the way," Lora said. "What matters is that neither of you ruins the relationship you both have by being stubborn. Sure, they may say some harsh things that may hurt you some way or another, but it's because they care about you and feel that they can be open with you on such matters."

Felix frowned, but couldn't hold the expression for long. He didn't want to be mad at Keira.

"Like any kind of wound," Lora continued. "It will take some time to heal just like the argument you had with that riolu. Take some time to cool off and think things over. Especially don't be holding any grudges, that will not be doing you any favours, Felix. Now." She graced him with a beaming smile, golden eyes almost shining. "It's best you go apologize and learn from your mistakes like any other pokémon trainer. Besides, I think I may have been talking to you for too long; your friends must be worried."

The woman smiled brightly at him, and Felix grinned back until she tussled his hair. Lora gave him an approving nod before her eyes turned from Felix to the frozen ninetales beside her. "And don't worry Jin, friends always forgive. You know that, right?"

Before any response could be managed, Shira came bounding forwards. She tackled Felix with a high, feline, cry and began gently headbutting him. "Don't you dare scare me like that again!" She warned, pressing her head against his. "Disappearing like that. Do you have any idea how worried I have been?"

Felix started laughing, causing Shira to realise how rash and emotional she was acting. For her at least. "It seems you are in one piece." She eyed him over as she stepped off him, just in case. "Seems you were telling the truth." A pikachu that was with Shira gave a short laugh and waved her off.

Shira's eyes turned to the other occupant of the area, a ninetales frozen almost as much as his typing would imply him to be. "It appears I owe you a thank you as well. So thank you, for finding my human and making sure he was returned in one piece."

Jin didn't respond.

"What's more," the pikachu cheered, bounding forward a few steps. The pathway they were in looked like everywhere else they had been wandering, but the pikachu seemed to know a secret. A door laid into the wall which was turned with a practised jump. "Freedom!" he announced as the door swung open.

"How in the world?" Shira mused as she nudged Felix forward. The door had opened to a mossy path, seemingly unused for a very long time. Past it, they could spot a short trail leading to a copse of trees, and past that the lake.

Shira's keen eyes picked out a blue and grey shape in the water, long neck too. "Emma," she gasped. "That means…"

"Go on then," the pikachu scampered back between Felix's legs. "Go and feel better."

Felix shared a glance with Shira before they both smiled. "Than-?" Felix had turned back to give his thanks to Laura, Jin and the pikachu that had led Shira to him. But all three were gone.

"What's wro… huh?" Shira had turned herself to find themselves along in the long street. "That's odd."

"I didn't even get to say thanks to Laura." Felix frowned, feeling a little hurt she just disappeared. "She was very nice."

"Who?" Shira asked.

"The lady," Felix replied. "Human woman. Red hair, gold eyes. Way tall." He lifted a hand way above his head, but Shira was still staring at him like he had dropped his senses in a well. "Come on, she was wearing cosplay. How could you not have seen her, you have the best eyes out of everyone!"

"There was no one there but a ninetales," Shira said, causing Felix to feel very cold indeed. "I would have seen anyone else."

Felix glanced back, and then around, but if he thought someone would magically appear he was disappointed. "Oh…"

"Some ninetales are known to be able to create illusions," Shira said after too long of a period of silence had occurred. "Could that be?"

"No she touched me on the shoulder," Felix insisted. "And tussled my hair. I felt it. My hair definitely moved." He touched his hair to prove his point.

"Well they are gone now either way," Shira said, as pointed as always. "We should get moving before they decide to split up again."

Felix agreed, and they began the final trek to the lakefront.

Felix's pokémon were very relieved when he and Shira emerged from the trees like a pair of Grass pokémon. They had clambered all over him for a while, Diego and Brian tackling him down before Emma tossed him into the air in joy.

Things didn't calm down until Keira stepped forward, opening her mouth to say something. "I'm sorry." Only to be surprised when Felix apologised first.

"What? No. I'm the one who is sorry," Keira replied, arguing as always. "I shouldn't have pushed you like I had, and I said things I didn't mean. I really am sorry."

"I said things I didn't mean too," Felix replied, scooping up Keira in a tight hug. "When I said I lost any chance to be normal I meant that as a good thing. I don't want to be boring, or else I never would have gotten you to stay with me."

"Idiot," Keira sniffled. "I would have stayed either way. Someone has to protect that big target of a head you've got."

"My head's huge," Felix agreed, beginning to laugh. "And I need you to make sure I don't fall over when carrying it."

"I always do," she agreed, laughing herself. Or crying, the two actions were indistinguishable at this point.

They didn't return to the celebration at large. Content to remain by the lakefront and relax. A few people came over to chat about the number of pokémon Felix allowed remaining out, but he was more than happy to explain that each and every one of his pokémon was much happier being outside their pokéball's and he gave them that opportunity as often as he could.

He even allowed Adrien out after some thought, making sure the twitchy aerodactyl knew he wasn't to travel into the city.

Their time was quite comfortable. Emma relaxing in the shallows, Shira sunbathing, then moonbathing, Diego and Keira chasing each other, Brian mustering up the courage, and losing it, to approach one of many pokémon, and Adrien lazily gliding about.

Well after night had fallen and the celebration grew more raucous, Felix felt himself dozing off. It had been a big day, and he was beginning to handle it. Seemingly noticing his exhaustion and picking this moment to interrupt, Shira came over to sit by him.

She licked a paw for a few minutes, then rested on her belly, watching the lake with Felix. She shifted quite a few times, unable to get comfortable, even laying across Felix for a while.

"What's up?" he asked, after the fourth minute of Shira laying across him.

"Thought for a moment you'd disappeared today," Shira said.

"Sorry."

"It's alright. I found you in the end. I'll always find you, remember that."

"Good to know for the next time I get lost in a city, or a cave, or a forest, or a-"

"Yes, yes, I get it," Shira grouched, good-naturedly this time.

"Are you alright?" Shira seemed a little nervous to him.

"Are you?" Came Shira's response.

"A bit freaked out about the disappearing Laura, but she told me all about Empowered Humans, humans with pokémon abilities, so maybe she's one? I didn't ask."

"Is that what you are then?"

"Maybe. She seemed to think that was an explanation for me understanding you all."

"Surprised you told her really."

"She tricked me out of it. Or maybe Jin did, that was the ninetales' name."

"Jin huh?" Shira hummed. "Sounds familiar."

"Does it?"

"Apparently… huh. Well, that's interesting." Shira began to chuckle, and the vibrations concerned Felix, so he tried to sit up.

"What is?"

"Laura? Does that name sound familiar?" Shira teased.

"Well… yeah. Obviously. I kind of thought she was just really into the cosplay thing she was doing."

"So a human called Laura, dressed as a knight I'm guessing?" Felix nodded. "Had a special ninetales. Did you know the knight this day is celebrating had a special ninetales? One called Jin."

"What?" Felix gasped.

Shira chuckled again. "Ninetales live a long time."

"But humans don't." Felix frowned. "You said ninetales can make illusions? Do you think he misses Lora?"

"I imagine it'd be harder on this day," Shira explained. "Not only would he be reminded of her the most today, but I heard another little titbit while I was prowling around. All this I heard before the incident today."

"What was it?"

"Apparently the day Lora died, and her togekiss Haze died too, something happened between her and the ninetales that led him to abandon her. So it's rumoured he stuck around here, feeling like it was his fault the whole time. You're either the most likely, or least likely, to see a special ninetales on this day I heard. Lucky you I guess."

"Yeah," Felix breathed, heart hammering at the possibilities. Jin helping him through an illusion of his old friend. "Lucky me."

He was still curious about when 'Laura' had touched him though.

"Lucky you…" Shira repeated, taking a deep breath. "I realised something today," she said, recapturing Felix's attention. "How much I care about you. I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to find you today."

Felix felt warm, not just because he had a persian lying across him and touched. "Thanks. I really care about you too."

"I can trust you," Shira said. "And that's why I'm going to." Before Felix could think to ask if she hadn't trusted him before, Shira said five words. "Sharpened Claw Along Hidden Red."

"What's that?" Felix asked, feeling as if a great honour had been bestowed upon him.

"Something you can't tell anyone unless I say you can. And even then, only once each time." Shira paused to still her hammering heart. "My name. The name I was given to explain everything I am when I earned it. My 'True Name' if you will." She turned her head to him and smiled kindly. "Don't worry, I still think of Shira as my real name as well. All pokémon just have another one, one they only tell those they trust more than anyone else. And for me, that's you."

Felix felt his eyes water for an inexplicable reason, and he grabbed Shira in a tight hug. She allowed this and even began to purr.

The day had turned out to be a good one after all.

A slight breeze wafted the tremendous snowy locks of fur that Jin took a significant amount of pride in.

"I have lived to see uncountable meetings and partings," Jin spoke, to the four companions that sat with him. All staring past him up at the crescent moon. "Yet, as your life's candle sputters and dies, whose face is it that rises to greet you? Happy is the pokémon who can sleep in the comfort of the smile he sees then…"

Jin shook his head. "I have become a master of illusion, only the legends and zoroark outdo me now. And yet, no matter how skilled I have become, I can never replicate the truth of life. The breath of the lung. The beat of the heart. The sparkle of the eye. There is always something wooden about anything I make, cold, lifeless and uncomfortable given too much focus. There is always something that can give them away."

As if like they were never there, the illusions that took on the form of Lora and Haze began to fade. The human wearing a blank smile upon her face while the togekiss stared upwards into nothing.

"I don't wish for forever, I do not think I deserve such luxury. Even for one moment, however, just once, it'd be enough, if I simply was able to see her face again. Her smile. Hear her voice. Am I selfish? Wanting forgiveness for what I have done? Yes. The road stretches on without end, I cannot but walk down it. As long as I can keep walking, I have held out hope that one day I will repent enough so that, when the time comes, I may see her smile again. Such hope has kept me afloat for all these years."

The last of his illusions faded, leaving only a lonely alolan ninetales, and a single pikachu.

"Illusions don't speak," the pikachu said, although it was no pikachu.

"Indeed," Jin replied. "I speak and manipulate through them. They do not touch. They do not live. They do not forgive."

Mew floated up next to him. As the legend often did, bothering him when he wanted to be particularly lonely. Regardless of what form Mew took, Jin had known it long enough to spot it. "She's forgiven you. She said it herself. You heard her."

"An illusion," Jin insisted, even as every part of him wanted to blindly agree.

"Not just an illusion," Mew asserted. "At that point, not anymore."

"Then what?" Jin asked, desperate for answers.

"Forgiveness," Mew answered. "As she always would have given. You are just way too stubborn to believe that without her spirit coming from the beyond to tell you that."

Jin chuckled, then laughed, then guffawed. Wiping a frozen tear from his eye, he grinned a fragile grin at Mew. "It would be just like her," he said, thinking of Lora's legendary aptitude for obstinance when she saw the need to force something. "To return through an illusion just to pat a lost human on the head and tell me to stop beating myself up for the past five hundred years."

"Yeah." Mew nodded. "It's been really depressing watching that."

Jin smiled, looking upwards as the humans began setting off fireworks. "Lora would be so embarrassed by this day," he murmured as the fireworks began to light up the sky. "A whole day of celebration, just for her?" He chuckled and smiled fondly. "But that's what she did, brought everyone together. Even now."

Mew nodded, and they watched the fireworks, something both had viewed countless times, in silence as they continued to dazzle the onlookers. For a moment several fireworks converged into what appeared to be a face, red spars ringing the head while the two single golden fireworks appeared as eyes.

Jin smiled and felt centuries of weight shift slightly. He wasn't ready to just move on right this moment, but he felt free to choose to do so now.

All that was needed to be figured out was what he was going to do next. "So Mew?" Jin began, still staring up at the sky. "What do you do to find that thing you call… fun?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha! I knew I could finish this chapter! This came out to be the longest chapter yet and written over two days of writing! I had help though, much of it. So this was a team effort, just a little late.
> 
> A note on the concept of Empowered Humans. It's a head-cannon, that is somewhat supported in cannon thanks to Aura Guardians and Psychics, but the real juicy details to it are based off of Zocarik's Expanded Pokédex. It's really good, go check them out.
> 
> As a note, however, I will say this. Felix is actually not an empowered human, his understanding of pokémon is due to something else :P
> 
> This was a really fun chapter to write...


	8. Tristan the Loyal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get these chapters done in a week or two is what I am endevouring towards. And since they are short chapters I think I can do it. Feel free to infest my home with bees if I fail.
> 
> And one last thing, these chapters are a result of my clever beta's advising me that the plan I had in place of this was a bit... not right. So I am flipping my plan the other way around, these seven chapters will each show how Felix met one of his pokémon. One of his Hoenn pokémon at that. So instead of me just introducing a new horde of characters out of nowhere, I will instead reveal the somewhere that they appeared from!
> 
> Let's get to it.

Felix breathed in deeply as he tasted the fresh, clean air of Hoenn. The boat ride from Johto had been luxuriously calm, only three people wanted to trade for his pokémon, only two had wanted to battle, and there was only one incident where Tania was thrown off into the ocean, but even that had been resolved with little issue.

Still, it was strange for him, stepping onto new soil, staring at odd cracks in the ground and giving exaggerated sniffs; strange to be doing that without sarcastic commentary that usually trailed him.

Keira was not by his side.

Littleroot Town was not as little as advertised. Felix had seen much bigger towns, but not so many towns with apartment complexes.

Palming a pokéball, he let out just one of the three pokémon he had taken on the boat ride with him. With an understated yawn, Brian rubbed his eyes with the hand not gripping the thick bone he carried with him.

"What time is it?" the drowsy marowak asked.

"Eight thirty," Felix answered, checking his pokégear. "And time for us to get a move on. Come on, we have to go register for Hoenn's league."

Grumbling quietly, Brian fell into step with Felix. It was early, and Littleroot was still a town, so there weren't too many people about. The marowak looked up to his trainer every so often, wondering at the deepening creases on the human's face.

Said human had his eyes locked on his pokégear, tapping and twisting as he searched the internet for the information he needed. "Come on," Felix grumbled, feeling apprehension rising. "Don't tell me this place doesn't have a Pokémon Centre."

Despite his searching, no Pokémon Centre located in Littleroot Town was coming up.

The only thing of interest that came up was the location of Hoenn's Pokémon Professor, a certain man known as Birch.

The town was not overly large, despite the buildings, and the professor's lab was distinctive enough to be spotted from a distance. It helped that, when in range, Felix was able to read the sign proclaiming the house as belonging to Professor Birch.

"Hi ho!" an impressive baritone called to Felix as he approached. He paused and glanced behind him, as that is where the voice came from, and was blessed to witness a man in a lab coat jogging as quickly up to him as the man could manage.

Felix deftly stepped to the side to avoid being flattened and ended up tripping over Brian. The man who had called out to him stumbled slightly as he came to a stop, but with practiced ease did not fall over despite the rapid stop.

"Sorry there," the man apologised and reached out a hand to help him up. Brian gave the stranger a dark look but Felix accepted the hand gratefully. "You dodged quite well there," the man complimented. "Too bad you're marowak happened to be right in the wrong spot."

"I should have remembered where he was," Felix replied, brushing himself clean of bits of dirt. "Thanks for calling out though."

"Not a problem in the least!" the man laughed. "But where are my manners? I nearly ran you over and without introducing myself. I am Professor Birch." He held out his hand again and Felix took it, receiving an enthusiastic shaking of his whole arm.

"I'm Felix." Felix gestured to the marowak still staring up at Birch. "This is Brian. I've just entered Hoenn half an hour ago."

"Ah I see." Birch rubbed his chin. "From that, and your apparent destination, were you heading to my lab?"

Smiling at the professor's awareness, Felix nodded. "When I first went to Johto I visited Professor Elm at Professor Rowan's request. He didn't say anything this time around, but I thought I'd come around anyway. There's no Pokémon Centre in Littleroot Town and I need to register for Hoenn's league."

"It's great you thought to visit." Birch's smile shifted into a frown and he rubbed his chin again. "But I am afraid I am of no help with your league entry. It must be done at a Pokémon Centre, I have no facility to register you I'm afraid."

Felix nodded, disappointed. "I understand, sorry for bothering you." He glanced down to Brian, silently asking if they should move on right away, but Birch had more to say.

"Certainly not!" he said. "Not a bother in the least. In fact, I know you must want to get to the next town and Pokémon Centre as quickly as you want, but you mentioned you know Professor Rowan?" Felix nodded. "Then I wonder if you'd like to come into my lab anyway. Could learn something interesting after all..."

Felix didn't hesitate as he gave a bright smile. "Really? That'd be awesome! What do you study?"

Birch laughed and began leading him up the trail to the entrance to his lab. "All sorts of things pokémon, but I specify in pokémon habitats and the distribution of pokémon within those habitats. You see, the ecosystem can only manage so many creatures at one time. Too many of a specific type in their environment, and it can damage the holistic equilibrium of that area..."

As Birch rattled on about pokémon, Felix's head swum as he absorbed more words he had no idea of the meaning than he ever had before.

* * *

"And as that, you can understand, that if something as seemingly minor as 'the scavengers' were subtracted from the ecosystem, waste would build up, creatures would get sick, the land would become unfavourable and could result in the abandonment of that area by multiple others pokémon! This could eventually destroy that area, or leave it changed severely in a way that could be very bad," Birch finished, several hours later.

Felix stared at him in silence for a long moment of time. Hands tightly grasped around a mug of tea, tea that was barely more than hot water. He was simultaneously confused at the terminology Birch used, fascinated at how important it seemed, and in awe of Birch's capacity to multitask. He had made them drinks, snacks, cleaned up a living area, typed parts to what was apparently three different reports, all while talking about his passion. If nothing else, Felix felt that he would leave this day knowing considerably more than he did yesterday. Even if he wasn't sure how it was supposed to be useful knowledge, he could repeat it at least.

"That's crazy." Felix found his voice. "I didn't realise how important the carnee... carnvore... the meat eating pokémon were so important." He glanced to the side, slightly embarrassed. "It's bothered me for a while about a few of my own mostly-meat-eating pokémon, I never got why that was a thing, but I think I do now. Without them, the others would eat everything else. Plants, sunlight, ground. Everything needs those things as well!"

"That's right." Birch nodded, cheeks the slightest bit red as he realised just how long he had spoken for. "Everything is important, it all comes together. Fascinating I find, that's why I have devoted my life to researching and helping others understand as well." Birch hesitated before giving a bashful smile. "Something I've been going on for a few hours now. Sorry about that, gets away with me sometimes and you seemed genuinely interested."

"I was!" Felix replied, immediately. Horrified at the thought he may have seemed a little bored. Despite any possible truth of the matter. "You definitely gave me some more appreciation for a few of my pokémon. I'm going to have to apologise to Adrien and Andrew for sure now."

"You have a number of pokémon, don't you?" Birch asked, leaning forward. "I've been chatting your head off, so what about you? You mentioned you've been to Johto and you spoke of Rowan. How long have you been on your journey?"

"A bit over two years," Felix answered, happy to talk about his own topic. "I grew up in Sinnoh but went to Kanto for my first league, then Johto. I want to feel ready for Sinnoh, that's why I've come to Hoenn. Each league helps I think."

"And you've caught several pokémon to help you on your journey?"

At this, Felix smiled. "I currently have eleven. I've got Keira, she's a lucario and my first pokémon. Adrien, he's an aerodactyl and a handful at the best of times. Diego, I've actually got him with me at the moment." Felix pulled out a shrunken pokéball to confirm that. "I've got Brian and Tania too, Tania is a weavile and is best to stay in her ball for the moment. Shira, she's a persian, best to keep her and Diego apart. Emma, a lapras who doesn't like to battle. Nathan, a typhlosion Professor Elm gave me. Andrew, who's an arbok and a very big handful. Tyson, a scizor and really quiet. And Sahara, she's a flygon. She's from Hoenn, I think."

"Indeed. Quite a collection of pokémon there." Birch leaned back, a twinkle lighting up in his eyes. "Any idea what kind of pokémon you wish to obtain in Hoenn? Besides flygon I imagine. We have quite a few powerful and fascinating pokémon here."

Felix shrugged. "No real list really, whoever feels right I suppose."

"Well then," Birch said, pushing his chair back with a squeak and standing up. He gestured for Felix to stand as well. "I know it is not particularly 'by the book' as it were, but as a regional professor I am authorized to give out starter pokémon to new trainers." Felix's eyes widened. "You're not new, obviously, but if Elm thought you good enough to receive one of his own starters, I can see no reason why I cannot as well. Think of it as a reward for being so patient with my endless monologue."

"It was no trouble!" Felix quickly said back, scrambling to catch up to Birch as he was already jogging away. "I really did find it interesting."

Birch laughed. "HAH HA. I certainly see no reason then, any of the three I have here would be lucky to go with you."

They rounded a corner before entering into a much more clinical room. Computers everywhere, none of the comforts of the lounge room earlier. There were three pokéball's sitting in a larger capsule.

"Are you sure?" Felix asked, standing back awkwardly as Birch pressed a button so he could gather up the pokéball's. "I mean, aren't they for new trainers?"

"I can request another of whatever pokémon you may choose," Birch answered, shifting one of the balls to his free hand. "And you said that you choose based on who feels right, if none of them feel right to you feel free to refuse. You are certainly not required to take a pokémon, purely up to you. I won't be offended in the least."

Felix swallowed and nodded. He realised something as Birch pressed a button and revealed a pokémon, he hated this part. He had never outright chosen a starter before. Keira was the obvious choice, and he had befriended Nathan before Elm offered the cyndaquil to him. He had never had to choose and he was suddenly very worried of hurting feelings.

"Treecko, the Wood Gecko Pokémon," Birch said as a bipedal, green, reptilian pokémon appeared before him. "A omnivorous Grass type pokémon that is also capable of sustaining itself for a little while on sunlight and water," Birch continued, losing himself. "Commonly found in forests and acts very well as a revitalizer of the plant-life around it, something that only increases in aptitude as it evolves. Colony of treecko and its evolved forms act partially as scavengers, which, as you know... oops." Birch laughed, both Felix and the treecko were staring at him. "I don't usually explain this kind of stuff to new trainers, seems I've still got a bit of steam to go."

"It's fine," Felix replied. "I actually wouldn't mind if you told me a bit of all three."

Somehow, Birch brightened even further. "Certainly." He tossed another pokéball up and something red appeared.

"Torchic." It appeared to be adorable. Small, thin legs, fluffy feathers and innocence in its eyes. "The Chick Pokémon. A herbivorous Fire type pokémon that subsists entirely on plant matter in the wild, a common feature with most Fire type pokémon. Torchic, and its evolved forms, help prevent overcrowding of plants and can, ironically, prevent fires by eating dead or dying plants, leaving less things to catch on fire. A pokémon that lives in plains more commonly than anywhere else, although mountainous regions have been reported, the torchic line are found less and less outside human captivity."

Felix smiled and said hello to both pokémon.

They responded, although without the knowledge that Felix could understand him.

"Oh mee gosh HI!" the treecko squealed, jumping twice. "This human is smaller than the others, is he big enough to be a trainer?"

"Don't be an idiot," the torchic snapped. "Of course he is. Human's get smaller than that and they can still take us. Not much smaller mind you, but..."

Birch smiled blissfully, hearing only a few sounds from the pair before he summoned the final one. "Lastly, we have mudkip."

The same flash of white light and ringing sound announced the formation of mudkip from data. The quadrupedal amphibian's head-fin bobbed as it smiled and said hello.

"The Mud Fish Pokémon, mudkip can be found in swamps, ponds, and other freshwater wetlands as a omnivorous predator. Where the treecko line are carnivorous mostly in scavenging ways, the mudkip line is known to actually hunt, although it is far more likely to subsist on plant-life. It excels in its watery habitat through sensing water currents with that fin on its head, giving it a sort of radar. Allowing it to hunt if need be. This is important as without the presence of amphibian creatures like the mudkip line, Bug pokémon and non-pokémon insects risk overpopulating and stripping an area clean of resources."

"So that's the three here," Birch said, stepped back. "Take your time, get to know them, I'm going to do a little more writing while all this energy is still here!" He trotted over to one of the many computers and began to just write, giving Felix time to sit down with the three.

"Do you mind if I send out some of my other pokémon?" Felix asked, mostly to Birch. He waved and Felix took that as a yes.

"Hmm." He glanced around, it seemed like to fragile of a place to send Diego out in, the arcanine was just too large and too excitable, Brian could be counted on, however.

And Tania hadn't caused any travesty's in nearly a week, so he felt she was due another chance.

The three starter pokémon looked on curiously as their prospective trainer revealed he already had pokémon, causing them to break out into hushed whispers.

"This human is-"

"He already had-"

"They must be already strong so-"

Brian and Tania materialized and Felix quickly grabbed the weavile to prevent her from her imminent thievery. "Professor Birch is letting me take one of these three," he whispered fiercely into Tania's ear. Or feathers, he just knew she COULD hear him. "And I want to get to know them, so can you..." he lowered his voice to a bare whisper. "Tell them the thing so I don't look crazy in front of Professor Birch?"

Tania gave him a smirk, but Brian was there to ruin it before she could convince him not to.

"So our human can understand you three, and us, like every word," Brian said, causing Tania to wilt. "Feel free to ask questions, he can answer."

The treecko, torchic, and mudkip all blinked dumbly at him and Brian sighed. "I know, I know, I reacted the same. Just nothing too specific, he's for some reason scared of other humans knowing he's awesome."

"Thanks Brian," Felix muttered, although he was blushing at the praise.

Tania stalked up next to Brian and loomed threateningly over the trio. "So what can you three do?" she asked. "Anything worthwhile?"

The treecko shrank under the gaze, and type advantage, of Tania while the torchic fluffed up in fury. "I'll have you know I can use Ember," the torchic hissed, causing Brian to twitch.

"I like this one," he said immediately and the torchic gave him a confused look.

"Why?" Tania smirked. "Cause she's a girl."

"Whaaaat?" Brian strung the word out a little too long.

"Putting them aside," Felix said, deciding he should enter this conversation. "What do the three of you want to do?" He sent a fearful glance at Birch, but the man was entirely engrossed in his writing to notice even a meteor crashing down.

"I-I'm not sure," the treecko admitted, shrinking when Tania sent it a bright-eyed smile.

"I don't trust the one with the bone," the torchic sniffed. "Far too creepy. And the Ice type can feel my Ember if she wishes too."

"While oviraptor is what I mostly do, I wouldn't deny an offering of a chick right out of the egg." Tania smiled back.

"You'll do no such thing!" Brian snarled, leaping in front of the torchic. "You'll have to go through my cold, dead, body first."

Tania held up two claws, some snowflakes generating and falling from them. "Cold? Check. Dead? Type advantage. Check."

"Okay, that's enough," Felix warned, putting a hand on Tania's shoulder. She rolled her eyes, but did back off.

"You're both funny." A third voice, only heard briefly a few minutes ago, chirped and the two trained pokémon and their trainer turned to the third member of the starter trio. "He's weird," mudkip said, looking at Brian. "And funny. She's scary." He grinned at Tania. "And funny. He's tall." He stared with wide eyes at Felix. "But small too. So that's cool." The mudkip paused for a moment before adding. "And funny."

"Hmm," Tania hummed. "I disagree with my own funny assessment, but you were correct with everything else." She turned to Felix and jabbed a claw back at the mudkip. "He'll do until Keira gets over herself."

Felix smiled and looked to mudkip, but before he could say anything Brian spun on the torchic he was protecting. "Will you come with us?" he asked the torchic, passionately falling to one knee. "We can be together!"

"Yeah, no," torchic replied, backing away. "No thanks."

Brian fell flat on his face in misery as Tania laughed. The mudkip gave a small chuckle as well, but he didn't seem mocking.

"I think you're a bit advanced for me," the treecko said, stepping back as well. "But mudkip likes you."

Felix turned to mudkip and nodded. "Well how about it?" he asked, there was something about this mudkip that he liked. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Sure." The mudkip beamed and trotted over before jumping into Felix's arms.

"Then that's that." Felix grinned, standing tall, but not so tall, with the mudkip in his arms. "Professor Birch?" he called confidently. "Me and mudkip is the one."

He waited.

"Professor?"

"Hmm?" Birch gave a start before spinning around in the swivel chair. "Ah, so you have chosen?"

"Yep." Felix nodded. "This mudkip is the one."

"Excellent. I'll get you the pokéball. And, oh! I imagine you are going to give mudkip his own name?"

"Right." Felix nodded and looked down to mudkip, then Tania and Brian. "Not sure what it should be..." he would have asked mudkip, but Birch was right there.

"Tristan," Brian of all pokémon said as he picked himself off the floor. "He's definitely a Tristan."

"Tristan then," Felix said, playing off Brian's mutterings as just that and answering for him. "Do you like that?"

"YES!" Tristan, formerly known as mudkip, answered. "I don't liek that, I love it."

And that was that.

Felix couldn't help but grin as he held his new pokémon. Johto had ended badly, but Hoenn was already looking up.

"I hope anyone else we catch in Hoenn is just as nice as you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, keep dreaming Felix. Keep dreaming.
> 
> So I may or may not have said previously, but not all chapters will be long. Some chapters designated as 'Capture Chapters' will be, but some have no real nuance to them. Like this one. Tristan the mudkip was an easy addition to Felix's team, something he is grateful for. Not all team-members were quite as easy as him when it came to joining.
> 
> I also expected this chapter to be less than 2,000 words. Jeez, I remember when a chapter of this length felt like the circumference of the Earth for me to write, now it is just a little chapter to me.
> 
> Heck, this is longer than chapter 5! I don't know, I like Birch and his passions are genuinely interesting! I ended up doing some research to make sure a few of the general things he said are correct when it comes to environments. Like what happens when you take the amphibians out and all.


	9. Malissa the Sly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second of the seven. Malissa. We'll go in order of who and how he catches the team in Hoenn. And yes, by seven I mean seven captures in Hoenn. No, he does not have all of them on hand at the same time, that would be against the rules. And yet, Hoenn isn't as big as teams yet to come...

_Location – Hoenn one Hoenn gym badge._

_Age – 13._

_Dewford Town_

* * *

Felix yawned.

Tristan yawned.

Nathan yawned.

Adrien yawned.

It was a sleepy day in Dewford Town. Felix had arrived yesterday, having taken Sahara for a fly in her home region. Or, more accurately, she had grabbed him and flew off the boat and over the ocean with him screaming.

Once they had arrived, somehow alive, in Dewford Felix had decided he should send her to Rowan and swap out for another, less terrifying, pokémon. Unfortunately, Rowan told him that Adrien had been acting restless and snappy and would be best if he took a stint on the team. After that it was time for the day to start.

So here they were, staring at the outside of a cave. Granite Cave, or so he had been told.

The reason the day had led them to staring into a dark, dank, cave was simple. Currently, Felix had just one pokémon who joined the team in Hoenn. And while Tristan had been able to defeat Roxanne of the Rustboro Gym by himself through persistence and that sweet, sweet, type advantage. Felix did not imagine the same would work for Brawly and so his options were laid out in triplicate.

He could battle with just Tristan, already discarded.

He could bring in some of his older pokémon, but the situation was not nearly so grim as to bend his own rules so quickly.

He could meet a new pokémon and catch them.

After wondering what kind of parents would name a child Brawly, and hoping it was a nickname, he made his decision. Currently the third option seemed to be the best, and so Felix sent the three pokémon he had on hand out to help him look.

But first, he had to have words with them.

"So here are the rules for the day," Felix began, sternly looking over the three pokémon he had along with him. Tristan was looking as pleased as punch, far smaller than either the bipedal typhlosion Nathan or predatory aerodactyl Adrien, but completely comfortable in their presence.

"First rule." He held up a single finger. "No eating anyone in there." He said this straight to Adrien who harrumphed at him.

"I eat who wants to be eat."

"No one wants them to eat you," Felix replied, sighing.

"They might as well jump in my mouth," Adrien retorted. They stared each other down for a moment but Felix had long since passed being afraid of Adrien. The aerodactyl harrumphed again and turned his head. "Keep mouth closed, fine."

Rolling his eyes, he turned to Nathan and held up a second finger. "Second rule: No running off looking for unown, like the last seven times I've had you on the team."

Nathan looked affronted, blinking as if he had never heard something so galling. "I would never simply run off. It would take something quite dramatic for me to break character and abscond like that."

"Like seeing what looked like a small piece of black?" Felix asked. "In a cave. That ended up being a piece of obsidian. Which we only were able to tell you after looking for three hours."

Blushing slightly, Nathan scratched his neck fluff. "...Well I thought I had a lead."

"At least call for us the next time," Felix said before turning to the little mudkip waiting patiently.

"That might scare it off," Nathan whined, but Felix had already moved on.

"Stick with me Tristan," he said. "I'd let you go on your own since you are responsible." He gave a side-eyed glance to Nathan and Adrien. "But if Keira found out I explored a cave without anyone next to me she'd bury me alive. Better this way, just in case."

"Not a problem Mister F," Tristan chirped before trotting forward. "To the cave now! Right?"

"Right." Felix smiled and followed the mudkip, his typhlosion and aerodactyl following right along. "To the cave."

* * *

"This cave is impossible!" Felix howled, dismayed at reaching yet another dead end. "Who build this? Nature? A legendary pokémon? Burn whatever did this!"

"If it was a legendary pokémon, maybe we could befriend it?" Tristan asked, doing his best to be cheerful. It was tough when the zubat kept coming.

"Leave that kind of thing to someone like Ash," Felix grumbled reaching the turn off they had just walked down and choosing a different path. "If one exists, he probably has."

"Do you know a person called that?" Tristan asked, dodging a sudden Confuse Ray and shooting a Water Gun back at the offending zubat. "I thought that ash was what happened when fire burned something. That's what Torchic always told me."

"Humans have weird names sometimes," Felix answered, ducking under a stalactite. He could have avoided it easy, but it was necessary to show Tristan that he was not short. "Sometimes we give names that have meanings, most of the time it is just sounds we like the sound of."

"That is weird," Tristan agreed, sending a second Water Gun at the same zubat. "Pokémon just call each other what we are. We can tell the difference without names. Can't humans?"

"Human's don't usually have the same kind of senses you pokémon do," Felix replied, glancing down to Tristan to check how he was faring. "Plus there are so many of us and we would all be called Human. At least you pokémon have different names there."

"I guess." Tristan's head fin flapped, it was his way of shrugging. "But I knew a couple of mudkip before I was taken to the tall hair-face human. Me and the others all knew who was who."

"Human's just aren't as clever there as pokémon." Felix shrugged. "Plus, it isn't like you pokémon don't have no names at all. You've got that True Name deal thing going don't you?"

"You know about that?" Tristan gasped, he had been considering bringing it up himself. But his parents had made sure he knew not to tell anyone he didn't trust implicitly. "I thought it was supposed to be a secret! To make sure no one gets power over you that you wouldn't be able to resist. Not like human trainers, more than that. Much more."

"Yeah I know. Shira told me a couple years ago, along with her True Name." He smiled at the memory before noticing Tristan's uncomfortable expression. "Oh! Don't worry. I don't expect you to just tell me yours, I don't really get why it is so important but I do know that it is. She made sure I understood." Felix shivered at the memory of the threats she had delivered to him after telling him. "So don't worry. I only know a few of my pokémon's True Names."

Tristan smiled, relieved, and changed the subject. "So do you have any idea of what we are going to do? We came here to find a new friend, but we've just been wandering and getting attacked."

"Well in my experience," Felix started, puffing himself up with false gravity and importance. "Being endlessly attacked is not good ground for friendship. Let's keep going."

"Do you know where we are?"

"Not in the least."

Tristan staggered. "What!" he shrieked. "We are lost? We could be trapped for days, forever, and what about the other two?"

"Don't worry, we're fine," Felix laughed, waving him down. "Humans come in and out all the time. And if we really need to we can ask someone for directions of the way out. I'm kind of counting on it."

Tristan narrowed his eyes. "You're counting on us getting lost?" he asked.

"Yeah." Felix shrugged and put on the stuffy accent again. "In my experience it is good for bonding. Plus whoever leads us out might become our new friend. From what I've seen in the past it seems pretty likely."

Tristan nodded, slightly comforted. "So you've done this before?"

At this, Felix hesitated. "Well..." he stretched the word out, receiving a even narrower glare from Tristan. "Nothing in a cave per-say. Or really at all... but it makes sense!"

"No it doesn't!" Tristan cried, hopping up and down. "Not at all. Where are we? How are we getting out? What's going on? Have you seen anyone for the last five minutes? What if no one helps? Or they don't know the way back? Or lead us into a trap? Feeeliiix?"

Felix blinked a few times as Tristan caught his breath, then a small smile made its way over his face. "Hey, that's the first time you've actually called me Felix. Thanks." Tristan looked up, realising he had done so. "See, not for nothing after all. That makes it all worth it."

Tristan felt like he was swimming through the fog of frustration and gooey happiness, settling on exasperation. "Can we just go back the way we came?"

"Sure." Felix nodded and pivoted on a foot. "Let's make our way out of here."

Felix froze. Tristan turned, and froze. Before them laid dozens of twinkling gems, each glinting despite the darkness, lit only by the small torch Felix held.

"Uuh..." Felix blinked and they were all gone. Tristan shook his head, blinking as well, and looked up at him.

"What was that?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "Probably nothing." He lied. "Let's move."

"Yes," Tristan agreed, trotting along on all fours. "Quickly."

Felix didn't reply, but he did speed up slightly.

* * *

They were out of breath by the time natural light began to intrude on their eyes. Having power-walked, then jogged, the way back to the entrance. Strangely, there had been no further interruptions on the way back. The zubat left the alone. The sole nosepass that was seen on the way in, still pointed in the same direction and said nothing. The numerous geodude were still nursing their wounds from Tristan's earlier defence.

There had been little shrieking of the dying on their way in, Adrien was clearly restraining himself, and Nathan had taken off in a four-legged sprint the first time he saw what looked like something that resembled a piece of black that could be an unown. Felix wrote the typhlosion off as a lost cause when it came to his obsession.

The pair were waiting for them at the mouth of the cave. One looking substantially more beaten up then the other.

"Geodude," Nathan answered to the curious, and concerned, expressions he received at his state. "Then mawile. Then sableye. Then the same geodude with three friends." He limped to Felix's side and tapped his own pokéball, being sucked into the embrace of no physical form.

"I ate a shiny rock," Adrien commented, his jaw hanging slightly. "Hardest thing. Not fun. Broke tooth. Ghost's mad. Return please." Felix silently returned him, making note to make sure both received care at the Dewford Pokémon Centre.

"Hmm," Felix hummed and glanced down to the tired Tristan. "Suppose today was not the day." He bent down and scooped Tristan up, easily carrying the mudkip. "Wanna stick with me for a bit until my arms want to fall off?"

"Sure," Tristan replied, beaming a sunny smile up at him. "Don't let your arms fall off though, that can't be good for you."

"I won't," he reassured and left the cave, walking nice and slowly for any dramatic last minute pokémon, sun already dipping below the horizon. No one came so he loitered outside the cave mouth until Tristan gave him a strange look. Sighing, he left.

Only to trip over the being that was right by his feet.

Tristan yelped and managed to land on his feet, slumping onto his belly afterwards, while Felix gracefully fell to the side to avoid crushing the mudkip. "Ouch." They said together.

"Hi," said the devilish assailant. Crystals glowed at them in the encroaching darkness and Felix screamed, scrambling back."Oh come on," the assailant said in a distinctively female voice. "I'm not that scary. The handsome Fire type certainly didn't think so."

After a period of silent staring she hummed and shrugged. "Well he DID scream, but you know. That was because I appeared out of nowhere. Probably. Anyway, hello small human I am a sableye. Don't let the Ghost type confuse you, I'm not THAT spooky."

Felix glanced to Tristan, who had stood up to stand between him and the newcomer, and then to the sableye. "Um, hello." He swallowed, cleared his throat, and reorganized his thoughts. "Why did you trip me?"

She seemed offended and reared back as if struck. "Trip you? I waited patiently in front of you, waiting for you to look down, instead you basically kicked me in the chest. I have feelings too you know."

"Sorry," Felix immediately replied, politeness overpowering any sense of fear or confusion. "It's just getting dark, I had no idea you were down there."

"You're pretty short," she pointed out. "I'm surprised you didn't see me."

"I'm NOT short!" Felix snapped before back-peddling. "Sorry, I didn't mean to shout. Just... why are you hear?"

At this the Ghost and Dark type gave a truly fitting grin. "Weeeelll. I happened to overhear your little discussion with the little kip right there, something about meeting new friends in dark caves. Seems like the opposite place if you ask me. It's dark, drab and damp. And some other D-word probably. Dangerous! Aha, dangerous. Dark, drab, damp and dangerous. Seems like an odd place, but you do you, and now you have me!"

"You?" Felix asked.

"Me!" She confirmed.

"You?" Tristan added.

"Me sableye, I indeed." She nodded.

Felix and Tristan exchanged a look, causing the sableye to quickly add. "And I know you wanted someone who led you out and helped and all that jazz, well good news! I made sure that none of the zubat bothered you on the way out and made sure the path was not interfered with! So I did help, even if you didn't see me!"

She seemed eager. Maybe desperate. Still, Felix liked hearing that.

"Why didn't you just come to us before?" Tristan asked, he was no longer tense, the sableye seemed nonthreatening. "Rather than a minute after we had already left."

"I was, uh..." the sableye's dark face took on a small, purple, blush. "A little shy. Weird I know, I mean, look at my chest." She jutted her chest out and the pair compulsively looked. "See my gem? Yellow. The other sableye have ruby's on their chests, I've got a topaz. I don't like the cave, or eating rocks all the time. Have you ever tasted a berry? They are delicious. I want to leave, so please, please, take me with you." She clasped her hands as she begged, and Felix felt his heart melt.

"Sure," he said, Tristan nodded as well. Pulling out a pokéball, Felix offered it to her. "Just tap this and don't break out until it clicks and you'll be with us."

"Phew." The sableye wiped her brow, grin returning. "Thought I'd have to go on and on about how weird we all are. Okay, short human no backsies." She quickly tapped the pokéball, just in case, and was sucked in. Felix gave the pokéball a rueful smile as it beeped the wonderful success sound and pressed the pokéball, letting the sableye back out.

"That was weird," she said, stretching her limbs to make sure they were all still there. "Don't think I like it tonnes, reminds me of the cave, but I guess I don't hate it. Mind if I stick outside for most of the time? I'll get used to the sun when it comes out I'm sure."

"Welcome to the team!" Tristan cheered, startling the sableye. "We did it Feeeelix." He paused on the word for a moment, still testing out the name. "We are glad to have you sableye. Or." Tristan glanced to Felix. "I guess we've got to give you a human name so he knows who you are."

"I know the difference," Felix protested, hotly, but then nodded. "But he is right, I give all the pokémon with me names. Any idea what you'd like?"

The sableye's grin never wavered, she was liking them already. "Oh I don't know," she sung and did a single pace around her new human. "But the first human name I heard I liked."

"...Felix?" Felix asked dubiously.

"No, no. Nothing like yours." She gave a strange enunciation on the word yours. "The name I heard was Melissa, but that's too human."

"What about Malissa?" Felix asked, and the sableye nodded.

"Malissa," she said, testing the name in her own tongue. "Yes, I like it."

"Malissa it is." Felix nodded and stood up straight. "Well we've still got to get back to the town, and I'll introduce you to the others tomorrow."

"Oh I can't wait." Malissa grinned, falling into step.

"They are awesome," Tristan confirmed. "There's Keira, she's super strong and been with Felix the longest, but she's not here today. There's Adrien, he's the aerodactyl in the cave. Brian too, I met him on my first day..." Tristan chattered off as they walked, a new pokémon stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done. Another short and sweet. Sableye is Felix's first Ghost type pokémon, but will not be the last. Dark and Ghost are my favourite types actually, although sableye isn't my favourite of either kind, I still quite like it. Something for a few of you readers to maybe find interesting. Malissa is a Dark and Ghost type, Felix's Hoenn team is yet to include a second Ghost and second Dark type. Both are Hoenn based pokémon. Any guesses as to what they are?
> 
> And I've been quite enjoying this smaller chapter structure thing for these chapters. I still love my big chapters and will still do plenty, but having something to post much more frequently is nice. Plus these small moments. It isn't the big things that make a story, it's the little things. So these calmer, smaller, more focuses chapters are a delight to write. The next one will have some combat in it though, ooh. I think I'm pretty alright at action scenes, although I've gotten a bit rusty, but let's have some fun with what's to come.


	10. Joey the Bright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10! Woo.
> 
> This chapter has more battle in it then the previous chapters. But still not that much, so if you don't like it don't worry.
> 
> It is funny to look back on my older writing, even my older versions of this story. I put so much emphasis on combat to the exclusion of so much else. I like how I have grown as a writer, even if most of you wouldn't have seen that growth :)

The day had started off on an interesting note.

Some time ago Felix had brought Tania back onto the team for a few days, as the time for team rotation had come up. He had sent Tyson and Emma back to Rowan and brought the troublesome weavile on with Shira.

He hadn't quite thought it through. Bringing his kleptomaniacal pokémon onto the team for the first time since capturing Malissa, herself rather cheeky, had been asking for trouble.

Shira was no help, preferring to laze about or practise for the next contest. She and Tania had a deal where they left each other alone, very little interaction and certainly no helping their poor trainer reign the other in.

Felix could only watch in dismay as Tania took Malissa under her wing and began teaching her things. A week later he reached the next day or rotation and sent the weavile and persian back, but the damage had been done.

Felix thanked the legends for the tiny mercy that was Malissa not becoming a kleptomaniac like Tania, but that was not any better than her true path. Merely different.

Malissa had little interest in accruing a horde of pointless objects, instead she set her diamond stare on only the best.

The human was seriously reconsidering letting his pokémon free to run about all the time every time after several museum thefts were reported. He never found them, but Malissa's grin made him uneasy.

To try and stop the rampant robbery, he had skipped several cities and was researching towns before entering, just to make sure they didn't have any obvious targets. Due to this, he had missed the last thee gyms and was wandering aimlessly around Route 119.

He was trying to curb Malissa's new hobby before it grew any further, leading to camping out in a miserable clearing, tent barely protecting him as it rained.

Tristan had loved the rain and requested to sleep outside. Malissa had been awed by the rain herself, still getting used to life outside a cave even after these few months, and distracted for the night.

The next morning neither of them were st the campsite.

An interesting note to Felix, particularly considering the fact he currently had no other pokémon with him. This being a rare time he had only the teammates caught in the region with him.

"Uh... Tristan?" Felix called as he looked about. There were no tracks, anything having been washed away. "M-Malissa? Where are you?"

As the morning crept on and Felix grew more concerned he began to do mindless busy work to keep calm. Hoping that the pair would just return themselves, he began packing up the camp. It wasn't hard, only collapsing and storing his tent which had been done so many times he could do it in his sleep.

Which he had done on a few occasions.

Sighing at the realisation that no saviour would come and he'd have to traverse the wilderness alone, Felix strapped everything to him and took his first step out of the camp.

"FELIX!"

Only to freeze when a voice yelled from behind him.

"FELIX!"

The sounds of feet scrabbling through ferns and grass was unmistakable. He would have smiled, happily turning to greet his wayward pokémon with a gentle scolding for disappearing like that, but the urgency in both voices roused him to action.

"Tristan?" he called back, pivoting on a foot and marching back to the clearing. "Malissa? What is it?"

The mudkip and sableye slid to a stop before him, showering him with a unfortunate amount of mud, before Malissa grabbed his pant-leg.

"Quick! A human place is being attacked!" She pulled him with surprising strength, nearly pulling him over, before Felix steadied himself by falling into a jog.

"Where?" he asked. "Lead the way then."

Content he was following, both pokémon broke off into a run. Only for Felix with his long legs to immediately overtake them.

"Hurry," he said, but both were short, tired, and neither were much of an endurance runner. Knowing that time was of the essence, he picked both up, hooked them under his arms, and had them point the way as he ran the distance himself.

"Where?" he puffed. "Are we. Going?"

"Big funny human thing," Tristan answered. "Has lots of weird humans shooting water at it."

"Is it on fire?" Felix spluttered as he was wacked in the face with a tree branch.

"No they are hurting with Water type pokémon!"

"What?"

"Humans all with similar, and boring, looks have a horde of pokémon and are attacking the human dwelling," Malissa explained.

"Weird looks? Water pokémon? Are they in stripes and wearing bandannas?"

"Stripes? Yes." Malissa nodded.

"Bananas no." Tristan shook his head.

"No, heh, not fruit. This blue hat thing on their heads," Felix explained, pausing to puff for breath.

"Oh yeah!"

"I think that's Team Aqua." Felix grimaced, the land was growing more even and he thought he could see road. "Goodie."

"Not far now," Tristan said. "You're doing great, don't let up, we're almost there."

"Yeah," Malissa added drolly. "You can do it. You can do it."

"Don't make fun." Tristan frowned back. "He's being nice enough to carry us, without even putting us in the ball things."

"Yeah..." Malissa admitted. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Felix panted. "I can hear them now. Get ready for battle."

He reached the top of a small crest and received a perfect view of the carnage before him.

A bridge that connected the route to the next, over the raging river, had been destroyed, only a few remaining logs implied there was ever a bridge.

Over a dozen Team Aqua members had swarmed the building. An oddly shaped building with many windows and a pair of circular observatory decks jutting out like horns.

It was currently receiving a considerable amount of damage from the several dozen Water pokémon sending blasts of water into it.

From broken windows a small number of pokémon returned fire, but it was weak and scattered compared to what was being unleashed upon it.

As the trio crept closer, Felix still not having dropped his pokémon, the Aqua members managed to break down the door.

"Perfect," a more distinctive member said. A woman wearing goggles that held a gargantuan amount of hair out of her face. "Get in, spread out, get that information and grab all the castform. MOVE!"

"Hi ho," Her underlings chanted and stormed the building.

"Let's go," Felix whispered and bent down low. "Quiet," he shushed as he ran along, crouched down and still holding both pokémon in a tense, iron, grip.

The woman might have heard him, or simply turned to check the cost was clear, either way she spotted them.

Immediately, Felix dropped Malissa and gripped Tristan round the middle with both hands. "WATER GUN!" he shouted, pointing Tristan at her and squeezed.

Tristan, by affect of the order or by the squeezing, let loose the pressurized stream of water and knocked the woman down.

"GO GO GO!" Felix shrieked and sent his pokémon into a panic, rushing past the spluttering member of Team Aqua and into the building.

After getting up, the Aqua Admin was knocked down again when Malissa popped out of her shadow, tripped her, and snatched her pokéball's before disappearing again.

Team Aqua Admin Shelly let out a howl of fury, but the sableye was already gone.

Within the facility, chaos reigned supreme. Team Aqua grunts were breaking everything, tossing papers all about and bashing down doors. Thankfully, as the building was small, most didn't have many pokémon out. Destruction was not their aim, information was, and destroying the data or the castform would be received with considerable displeasure.

The criminal cult members didn't see Felix coming, however, and the short human was not shy about squeezing Water Gun's out of Tristan to knock the humans themselves over.

He was racing, sprinting to each room with barely a moment to pause, slapping grunts out of the way with Water Gun's until he found himself in a room with just the one criminal, two scientists, and one cowering amorphous, floating, cloud-blob-thing. Felix wasn't sure what it was or why it had balls on its chest.

"Tristan, tackle that guy!" Felix ordered, releasing Tristan and letting the mudkip charge forward. The grunt had barely the time to hear what the intruder had said before he was slammed and knocked to the ground with a gasp of pain.

A fierce growl told Felix he may have been too hasty with letting Tristan go forward, he hadn't seen any pokémon but he hadn't done more than look forward. Spinning to the position of the growl, Felix barely avoided being bitten by a poochyena. Before Tristan could right himself and turn back to fire water upon the attacker, Malissa appeared out of Felix's shadow gripping a triple set of pokéball's and smacked the poochyena on the snout.

"Back off," she hissed, tossing the balls to the side and putting up both fists. "You wanna be a coward and attack my trainer?" she growled, darting forward and punching the poochyena on the snout again.

"Ah, grr, he attacked MY trainer!" the pokémon retorted before his fangs glowed with purplish energy. He bit forward in a deadly Bite attack, but was intercepted by Tristan rushing back and tackling him before he could reach Malissa.

Malissa jumped back into Felix's shadow right as Tristan made contact. "Sleep!" She emerged from the poochyena's moving shadow and slammed it back the other way. Tristan hit it with a Water Gun before it could so much as fall to the ground and Malissa ducked, letting the poochyena fly out the door.

"There." Felix slammed the door shut and turned on the Team Aqua Grunt still present. "Stay down or Malissa will have you," he warned, the sableye picking her teeth with a Shadow Claw, the man visibly swallowed and stayed down.

"Oh thank you!" With the danger passed for the moment, the pair of scientists rushed to his side while their pokémon floated behind them, making sure itself was never closer to the Aqua Grunt than anyone else.

Thanking his hands, the pair thanked him. "Team Aqua has taken over the building!" one gasped.

"You must help," said the other. "Drive them out! Do not let them take our research, OR our castform."

"Yes! Yes!" agreed the first. "Go back out there and rout these crazy cultists out of our weather facility."

"Wait," Felix said, but they were already grabbing him. "Hold on now, hey, hey!" He shook himself free of them and glared. "Why do we have to do it ourselves. Don't you have some alarm to contact the police."

"But of course," one assured, nodding. "But they are here now. NOW! They must be stopped or else who knows what they may do with our information!"

"...weather reports?"

"Not just weather reports!" one snapped.

"Ways to manipulate the weather," the other explained, less heated than the first. "Rain Dance, Hail, Sunny Day. All but temporary, and localized, aspects to momentarily mimic actual weather. But with our information, castform, and their technology, who knows what Team Aqua could do!"

Felix looked to the Aqua Grunt sitting sullenly on the floor. "Well?" he asked. "What would you do?"

"Why are you asking me?" the grunt snapped. "You may be holding me hostage, but I'll NEVER spill the secrets of Team Aqua!"

"Yeah." Felix nodded, turning back to the scientists. "He has no idea."

"Hey!"

Everyone ignored that.

Before any calm and reasonable discussions of evicting apocalyptic cults could be made, the door was bashed down. Tristan and Malissa leaped back, both slamming into Felix and sending him down to the floor while the scientists shrieked.

"No!" one sobbed as Aqua Grunts poured in. "Castform! Protect us!" He grabbed the shaking castform and held it in front of himself while the second scientist gripped his shoulders, holding him out in front as well.

"Gosh darn pathetic." The Grunts separated to form a human passage as the woman Felix knocked down in front stomped in. "Ye yellow-bellied deckswabber's. Tis one thing to send a pokémon out to fight for ya, tis another to hold one in place like the worlds greenest cabin boy." Her foot hit a pokéball and she glanced down, then to the side where Felix was getting up. "Well ya tried," she said and grabbed her pokémon. "Now you face the full might of Team Aqua. Me names Shelly, what's yours land lover?"

Ignoring the quivering scientists, and crying castform, she focused on the trainer who had attacked her. Felix had gotten up and had both Tristan and Malissa in front of him, tensed and ready for combat.

Curling her lip, she gave a tiny shake to the man creeping up on Felix and he hesitated. "Get back over here," she demanded and the man bent his head and scittered past Felix, causing the kid to jump when he realised how close he had been.

"Ya ready?" she asked graciously. Felix glanced from side to side. "There's no room in here," he said but she scoffed. "This dump will be sinking soon, who cares if ter's a bit more wreckage to sift through after? Now." She sent all three pokémon she had out of their pokéball's. A mightyena, crawdaunt and carvanha, with the fish pokémon immediately wrapping itself in a bubble of water and floating in the air.

"Mary," she said to the mightyena. "Piranha." And the the carvanha. "For for his pokémon. Mr. Krabs, get that pokémon off the scientists."

Tristan and Malissa immediately began fighting back, sending streams of water and jumping in and out of shadows, or raking Ghost type-infused claws down scaly bodies. Neither could help as the scientists shrieked, releasing their castform as a pincer snapped threateningly at them, letting the crawdaunt grab the castform in its sharp grip.

Squealing in pain and terror, the castform tried to wriggle free, but there was no budging.

"Stop crying," Mr. Krabs hissed. "You'll only make it worse on yourself."

"Release him," Felix yelled. "Malissa, Confuse Ray on Mr. Krabs, Tristan, hold them up for a bit." Malissa darted off and flashed with a disoriantating light, while Tristan beat both attackers back with as strong of a Water Gun as he could, giving her time to send Mr. Krabs reeling in confusion.

"Get him out of there," Felix commanded before turning back to Tristan, confident that Malissa could do it. She stabbed a set of Shadow Claw talons into Mr. Krab's pincer and then bit down with teeth strong enough to chew rocks like grass, causing the confused crawdaunt to screech in pain and try and beat her back, loosening his grip on the castform enough that the jolt was enough to send him flying.

Felix dove and caught the castform as Tristan tackled the carvanha into Shelly, before Malissa came swooping back with a vengeance. Hitting the mightyena with enough force to send her flying out the window.

"Oh you cotten-picking," Shelly hissed. "Grunts, send your-"

"POLICE HAVE ARRIVED! The voice could be heard all through the building. A scientist with access to a window spotted the approaching law enforcers. "We are saved!"

"Oh blasted codgers," Shelly swore. "Get moving boys, don't let the normies grab ya, cause the captain ain't fishing you out. Let's go."

"Hi ho!" The Aqua Grunts agreed and tore off running, abandoning the room, then the facility, in seconds.

"Well," Felix said after blinking a few times. The room was still destroyed so he was confident he didn't imagine it. "That ended quickly."

"Oh thank you!" The scientists were all over him again, to Felix's displeasure. "You saved us, you saved everyone, our hero!"

"What?" Felix gasped. "No! I didn't, the police." But they weren't listening to them.

"WE WERE SAVED!" The scientists ran down the halls of their broken building, singing Felix's praises. "BRAVE YOUNG TRAINER HUZZAH!"

"Huzzah!" A frighteningly large amount of people chanted back.

"Let's just... leave," Felix said, edging out.

"Don't leave me," a voice none of them had heard when not crying squeaked. "You did save us, you saved me, please don't leave me with them." Felix, Tristan and Malissa turned to see the castform they had rescued floating up behind them. "Take me with you, please," he begged and Felix hesitated.

"Well I... I can't just take you," he said frowning. "That'd be stealing. That'd literally be what Team Aqua was here for, no way they'd let me take you."

"Oh!" Felix jumped as the scientists were back. They danced around him to the castform and then grabbed it, pushing it a little too hard into his chest. "Take this castform as our thanks, least we can do. Ta ta." And they were gone.

"Oh." Felix really didn't know what to say to that. Looking down, he pry'd the castform from his chest and looked down to its smiling face. "Well... alright then."

"Hooray!" the castform cheered, floating out of his hands and circling him a few times. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"I didn't get so easy a join," Malissa mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Because you had to dance around the topic," Tristan replied, smiling at the joy of the castform. "Also, Felix what name are you going to give our new teammate?"

"He's pretty excitable," Felix laughed as the castform nuzzled his cheek. "How about Joey?"

"Joey! Joey! Joey!" Joey, formally castform said. "That's my name, I have a name, hooray!"

It was a bit of a strange day, but Felix couldn't help but smile for the rest of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a fun fact about the Hoenn team. It was the first I designed. Besides number 6 on this list, he's a recent addition. The others though have existed in some shape or thought for years and years.
> 
> Castform is a weird pokémon though. And it bothers me they never made a Sandstorm form for it.


	11. Zephyr the Cocky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So last chapter not as much battle as I feared. I was pretty tired when writing that chapter though, sorry if it went a bit quick. This chapter would be the shortest of the bunch, but as we are enlarging the Hoenn team we will see more of the most recent capture as not much of them were seen in their own capture chapter.

Felix sighed as it snowed again for the seventh time that day.

He appreciated Joey was able to at least tone it down from the hailing that the last two weeks were filled with.

The sheer exuberance that the castform demonstrated was astounding. Every minute he changed the weather. It was either intensely hot as he caused a localized area effect to make it seem far too sunny than it had to be, or was hailing.

To be honest he preferred the hail. At least he was being bruised rather than made uncomfortably sweaty. Tristan and Malissa disagreed with that notion, while the current-addition-of-the-team Emma heartily enjoyed the hail.

Her shell was hard and skin rubbery, so it didn't bother her in the least.

Wincing as the weather turned back to unbearably hot, Felix groaned and slumped. He was currently riding Emma, the lapras performing her age-old service of floating around with Psychic and carrying him. Slumping on the lapras' shell was decidedly uncomfortable, and Emma floated along far to slow, so he allowed himself to fall off.

"Joey," he moaned as the castform circled him like a hungry mandibuzz. "Please cut it out. For an hour, I beg you."

"Let me see..." he hummed, bobbing this way and that. "Nope!"

Joey was enjoying his escape from the Weather Institute. And was so positive Felix didn't have the heart to reprimand him for the nuisance he was being.

"You okay?" Emma asked, nudging Felix with her head. Her trainer groaned but otherwise did nothing. She gave a weary sigh and came to a decision. "Young mon right there!" she said in her most motherly voice. "Stop this at once." Joey did stop. Long enough to blow a raspberry.

"Well I did all I can do," Emma mumbled and nudged Felix again. "You could just return him to the ball," she suggested.

"He's too happy," Felix replied, face down in the dirt. "Every time I think to do something, he's just so happy and I can't do it. He's like the most evil pokémon I've ever caught. Adrien? Tania? Andrew even. Nothing to this evil! Nothing!"

Shaking her head, Emma drew herself back up to look around. Tristan and Malissa had long abandoned the relative area Joey was able to affect. The easygoing mudkip having assured he would be within shouting distance if anything went awry, while the sly sableye simply having melted into her own shadow as she was oft to do.

"Hail!" Joey cheered as he changed the weather again. Emma couldn't quite bring herself to enjoy the soothing cold as the pellets of frozen water bounced unfairly often off her trainer. She knew she needed to stop Joey, but had no idea how to. It wasn't just Felix who was baffled into submission by the endless positivity Joey beamed out at all times. Laughing and giggling, swaying in the air as he danced something only he knew, it was hard to observe him and want to put an end to his activities.

She wished Keira was there. She knew Felix wasn't going to talk about it with anyone, but he was feeling the lucario's absence intensely. He had apparently only fought two of the gym's this region presented, while skipping over multiple. Emma understood his excuse was that Malissa needed to learn restraint, and it was a good reason, but she also gathered that Felix was having trouble psyching himself up for the battles without Keira by his side.

The lucario had been acting strange at Professor Rowan's lab as well. Emma would never have pegged the sociable lucario as a loner, being by Felix's side almost all the time or being perfectly content spending quality time with other members of the teams. Yet ever since the end of the Johto League she had not joined his side, instead asking to take some time off. Something that had never happened longer than a few days. Furthermore, she wasn't doing much of anything but sit around. Sahara had trouble riling the lucario up for a battle, another thing that had never been an issue, and everything she did seemed halfhearted.

It was concerning everyone. Emma wanted to talk to her, or have Felix and Keira speak, but had no idea how to achieve either ambition.

The only small relief was Felix was heading back the way he had come. Telling the team that Malissa had learnt how to keep her hands to herself, wishful thinking in Emma's opinion, and now they were headed to Mauville City to have a proper gym battle.

It was something at least. Something that may not be even managed if Joey wouldn't let up.

"Okay," Emma snapped, dropping herself to the ground as she moved her Psychic from herself to Joey. Or at least, that was the plan.

Right as her belly touched the ground and she harnessed her Power to grab the troublesome castform, a piercing shriek and the flapping of many wings distracted her.

Air Slash's numbered in the dozens burst out of the trees, being followed by an entire flock of taillow and a single swellow, all being aimed in the general direction that Joey floated.

The cheerful castform froze up once he spotted the approaching death, with Emma quickly coming to her senses and grabbing him in Psychic. Joey eeped as she flung him out of the way, right into the thicket of trees.

The Air Slash's continued until they barraged a different copse of trees, splintering several and bringing three of them crashing to the ground. Felix started and could barely scramble before Emma grabbed him, set him on her back, and began floating right out of there.

She wasn't quick enough, however. and the flock was upon them.

The mad screaming of them was difficult for either Felix or Emma to make out specific words, the general idea that they were furious at the one tampering with the weather was clear enough though.

The pair tried reason, futilely hoping this mad murder of feathered fiends would listen. They did not.

"Option B then," Felix growled, Emma matching him. Neither was honestly the kind of attack first, Emma rarely being the kind to attack at all, there were times when tempers grew hot and action was taken without much thought.

"ICE BEAM."

Emma opened her mouth, gathered her energy, and sent it all out in an all-consuming wave of sheer cold. The flock had begun to attack them, but the Flying type energy paled upon the chill of the Ice type beam. Majority of the better-aimed Air Slash's disappeared into nothing while the others boomed harmlessly around them. Emma's Ice Beam knocked enough taillow out that the flock seemed to think otherwise.

"RETREAT!" Was cried, the rest of the flock repeating it ad-nauseam. "Retreat. Retreat. Retreat."

The ones Emma had blasted got up as well. Through a combination of Emma's natural restraint, taillow's unusual fiery passion to keep going, and the Ice Beam having been absorbed and split up among multiple pokémon, they were able to fly off without much trouble.

Bar one.

"Cowards," this last taillow spat, fluffing up its feathers as it rose into the air as a single remaining opponent. "I'll take you on myself!"

He, the voice was unmistakable, flapped his wings several times as a reverberating cry erupted from the small taillow. "Haaaaah," he cried out as he was beamed in a harsh white light. "I unleash my full power! NOW!" Emma cringed as the light hit a peak, the reverberating cry shaking their bones, before a sound curiously similar to a light bulb spluttering out caught their attention.

"Eh?" the taillow chirped before squawking in outrage. "This happens EVERY TIME." He slapped his wings over his head in outrage, forgetting he needed them to fly, and fell to the ground. "Dammit! This is not the end for me, I'll show you!" He rose back into the air and cloaked himself in the same white light. It lasted barely a second before winking out again. "Oh screw this," he snapped. "I can beat you without unleashing my full power. That is how much of a badass I am. HAA."

His beak glowed white as he channeled his Power through it and the taillow launched into a speedy dive. "TAKE THIS!" he bellowed, almost breaking his own Peck attack in the process.

"Ow," Emma grunted as the taillow pecked her relentlessly. Swooping this way and that, he even attacked her shell a few times, Felix shifting slightly to give him space.

"That's right, cower before my power!" he crowed loudly before glinting in a brief white light, nothing like his attempt at before. Moving even quicker, the taillow used Quick Attack, battering himself against Emma who was simply waiting, annoyance long faded and replaced with some sort of bemusement.

"Yes," he panted, five minutes later. "Cower... power... hey," he giggled. "That rhymes. Hahaha... ugh." Slumping to the ground, the taillow twitched a few times. "You have proved yourself worthy," the taillow gasped, for air that is. "It is now your honour to harness my power to your own and we will..." he took a moment to breathe. "Hoo... conquer the land in your name."

After a painful moment of silent staring, Felix and Emma down at the taillow, the bird pokémon staring back up at them with an expression quickly moving to embarrassment. "Uh... you there," he said to Emma. "Brave warrior that has conquered me and my flock. Surely the bond you have with the human may allow you to get my meaning across to him. He seems a little stunned at my defeat, clearly needing time to come to grips with the power he now shall wield."

With nothing but more silence being stared right at him, the taillow grew flustered. "L-look, I didn't go down easy alright? I'm strong, I can be stronger even, I reeaaally want to come along with you. I didn't mean to grandstand if that is why you are staring at me, I just wanted to sound impressive so you'd take me along."

Felix, finally, blinked and glanced to Emma before back down at the taillow. He cleared his throat. "I can understand your every word to the word," he said, just to get it out there right off the bat. While the taillow squawked in horror, he reached into his bag. "I wasn't sure, but if you really want to come along that badly, here." He rolled a pokéball down Emma's nose and it fell right by the taillow, who wasted no time at all in hitting it.

The ball only rocked once before clicking successfully. Emma silently levitated the ball back up to Felix, telling him in far more silence than she ever could with words. He pressed the button to allow the taillow back out and the bird zoomed out victoriously.

"HAHA!" he laughed, zooming along the trees shouting. "TAKE THAT YOU LOSERS! I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS CAUGHT! I KNEW SOME HUMAN WOULD REALIZE I'M THE MOST AWESOME ONE DAY! SHOWED YOU ALL HAHAHAHAHAHA."

After that loud display he swooped back down to Felix and Emma and perched on Emma's head. "Greatest of apologies for injuring you so severely MY new teammate, although I see OUR trainer has already patched you up. Good as new, almost like our climactic battle never happened. Good showing you did, very good." Puffing out his chest, he turned to Felix. "I am now yours to harness as you will. Let us take the land in a storm, or save it in a storm... whatever you want to do, I'm yours."

"Cool," Felix said, there wasn't much else he could manage at the personality of this tiny little bird.

"I know." If birds could smirk, this taillow managed it regardless. "But it doesn't need to be pointed out when it's so obvious."

"Heh, whatever you say." Felix grinned and turned his head to where Joey had flew off too. "Joey?" He turned to where Tristan had last been seen. "Tristan." And Malissa was likely in earshot regardless of where she was. "Malissa! Come meet your new teammate."

Joey floated out with a small frown. "You caught the guy who attacked me?" he asked without coming much closer. The taillow scoffed.

"I did not join in on such a cowardly attack," he defended. "Air Slash is for the cowards. I only attack directly."

"More like you don't know it, right?" Malissa came out of the shadow Emma's neck caused, startling the taillow into taking flight for a moment.

"Do not sneak up on my like that!" he gasped. "I almost attacked, something you may not have survived."

"Ghost." Malissa shrugged. "Dead once already I think. Probably. I think I was something amazing in my first life. Must have died grisly though, if I came back as a Ghost."

"Ghost type," Tristan said, strolling up to them. "Quite morbid today are we?"

"Your face is morbid." Malissa smirked back.

"Children please," Emma shushed them. "We have a new pokémon to introduce ourselves to."

"I'm Malissa," Malissa said. "Tristan is the mudkip. Joey's the castform. Your perch is Emma, she's a lapras by the way. Also not a fighter, pacifist for the most part." Malissa leaned back against Emma's neck with a grin. "Pretty embarrassing how she totaled a bunch of you guys with one move. The non-fighter. Suppose it works though, she got you without anything else."

"I simply... you see the matter was... she uh..." the taillow trailed off into silence for a moment before puffing himself up again. "Of course. The immovable object vs my unstoppable force. We canceled each other out in a draw, the only true way to win."

"Whatever you say," Malissa said. "But the matter at hand is different. Hey short-stuff, what's bird-stuff's name gonna be?"

"I get a name?" the taillow squawked, delighted. "Uh I mean. A name you say, how interesting?"

"You're fast, I can give you that," Felix admitted, thinking hard. "What name says fast?"

"Quickie!" Joey immediately said.

"N-no."

"It does too," he retorted.

"We're not calling him that."

"Speedy?"

"Fast-stuff."

"Lightning. What? It's fast."

"Dash."

"Meh," the taillow said. "There's more to me than fast, I'm agile, I am one with the wind, I am the coolest taillow you'll ever see. What human word really can encapsulate the true feeling of me?"

"Zephyr," Emma said. "It means something like wind or breeze."

"Zephyr...?" the taillow mused. "Yes. The Z sound adds something truly epic to it! N-not that it needed to, more like accentuates my existing epicness."

"Zephyr it is then," Felix said, clapping his hands together. "Probably the strangest capture yet. Mostly because it's the most normal capture I've ever personally been there to see resolved."

"When weren't YOU there?" Malissa asked as they began to move again, Zephyr happily perched back on Emma's head.

"Well apparently the choice of Shira was not down to me," Felix explained, winding into a long story. "See, Keira, Diego and I had just lost to this Gym Leader Sabrina AGAIN and were all a little frustrated..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That'll do it here.
> 
> Funnily enough Zephyr is one of Felix's only pokémon, past present or future, to be caught in a completely random battle without some sort of dramatic build up or bonding beforehand. He was there. Originally, this capture was going to be something along the lines of Felix intentionally trying out just capturing a random pokémon and seeing how they turned out, it seemed to work for other trainers, but it morphed slightly. The spirit of the randomness was maintained I think, so I'm happy with how it turned out.
> 
> Swellow is the only regional bird pokémon Felix ever catches. At least from Kanto to Alola. Sorry if that is a little spoiler, but I thought it was noteworthy.


	12. Isolde the Unknown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter :) hope you enjoy.

"And then the crazy thing decided to wait!" Felix flailed his arms a little to convey his confusion, and relief, that his story took such a turn. "Monologuing all about 'It'll be so much sweeter if they get here to watch' I mean, what the hell was that?"

"Sounds like a seriously messed-up pokémon," Tristan said. "But I'm glad it didn't kill you. I'd never have met you then, and I'd be really sad about that."

"How would you know to be sad?" Malissa countered back. "If you'd never met short-stuff, you'd never have known."

"Well yeah," Tristan allowed. "But-"

"Imagine if trainer-friend hadn't caught me!" Joey gasped, circling around the assembled masses as they walked onward. "I'd still be stuck with the CRAZY humans! I'd not be allowed to change the weather whenever I wanted too, and would have to listen to them and stuff. That'd suck so much!"

"See," Tristan said. "Joey get's that-"

"I know I'd be worse off if I was still in the wilds," Tyson, the scizor having rejoined the team the previous day, interrupted. "I'd be dead for one. Although..." he rubbed his head with a pincer, looking Felix up and down. "I remember  _that_  little incident. That specific incident with the psychotic pikachu happened after I joined the team. Not long too... suppose I'd still be alive then."

"Comforting," Felix drawled. "Always lovely to hear, thank you Tyson."

"You're welcome."

"Haha, you are funny," Zephyr laughed, fluttering down to perch on Tyson's shoulder. "I like that. Keep doing it please."

"I'm not sure what I did," Tyson replied, mentally stopping himself from shrugging and displacing the taillow. "I simply speak truthfully."

"Yes," Felix agreed. "Speaks his mind. A lot. No holding back. Just says whatever."

"I was led to believe that it was an admirable quality?" Tyson replied, innocence filling his tone.

"No." Felix stood his foot down. "I'm not having this conversation again."

"You do tend to appear foolish." Tyson nodded. "A wise choice."

Tristan took this moment to remind everyone he was still there. "Well I'm happy that Felix is still alive. I hope he stays this way forever. No evil pikachu is going to get you on my watch," Tristan said heatedly.

Smiling that one of them was on his side, Felix scooped Tristan up and gave him a hug. "Thank you. At least someone here loves me."

"You're alright," Malissa said.

"You saved me from the crazy humans!" Joey reiterated. Again.

"Our combined power shall rue all our enemies days, crazy electric pokémon might be a little bit of a problem, but nothing the swift Zephyr cannot handle!" The aforementioned bird grandstanded.

"It is true that Keira isn't here, but what is love anyway?" Tyson asked.

"So does this kind of thing happen a lot?" the sixth member of their team finally spoke up. "Psychotic human-killing pokémon? Anything else I should know about?"

"Well..." Felix began, tilting his head and glancing to Tyson. "There was all the other pokémon attempting murder of us."

"The attacks from Team Rocket," Tyson added.

"The zombie-ghost-monster-thing from the beyond."

"The beedrill war."

"The thing with a lugia and a trio of legendary birds."

"That water city that tried to eat us."

"The other zombies. Also that city raised the dead too! Zombie trifecta."

"That candle pokémon that tried to eat our souls."

"The plane crash I was in."

"One cave-in I was in. Two others I've only heard of."

"A muk nearly dissolving me."

"Falling off a cliff."

"Adrien trying to eat me and Keira."

"The boat sinking."

"The-"

"Okay!" the questioner cut in. "I get it. You're obviously desensitised to this stuff if you can speak so casually, but some of us might need some time to grow accustomed to it." Huffing, she gestured to the younger members of the team.

"Are you okay?" Tristan immediately said.

"Are you sure you're not dead?" Malissa asked. "Or undead? Since you seem to run into that kind of stuff a lot."

"Oh my gosh!" Joey squealed, changing the weather for only the third time that day. To hail.

"Th-that's not scary," Zephyr claimed, fluffing out from what was clearly a display of masculinity. "I can tell you of four times WAY scarier than that that I went through. First there was..."

"Guys it's okay," Felix assured. "It really doesn't happen that often. Most of them weren't even connected to me, I just, sort of, stumbled into them or had them come to me. It's no big deal."

"If it happens randomly, how can we possibly prepare for further incidents?" the newcomer asked. "I would be more comfortable if my, and everyone else's, relative safety had at least a plan."

"Isolde." Felix knelt down to his newest addition. They had only recently reached Route 111, just having left Mauville City. "Are you okay with all this?" Felix asked. "We only met a few hours ago, you sure you don't want to get to know us all a little more before we continue on?"

The kirlia gazed back with a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. "But of course I wish to come along. There is nothing left for me here, and I certainly cannot survive on my own. It is well understood among pokémon that being with a human is the best way to become safe." Isolde performed a small curtsy before glancing past Felix with a smile, directed right at Tristan. "And if something amiss does happen, well, it isn't like I will be alone. You have plenty of pokémon to defend us all with, even more than this assortment would imply."

It had been quite an afternoon. Felix was coming to decide it was something odd about Hoenn. The region had some of the friendliest, or outright directest, pokémon he had ever met. Getting approached by a kirlia was an interesting way to begin to day; Tristan had immediately bounded over, tripped, made her laugh and spent only ten minutes speaking to her before the kirlia asked to come along.

Part of Felix wondered what it was with his pokémon that led multiple of them to effectively recruit other pokémon of their own volition to the team. Not that he could ever say no. Tristan had recently evolved into a marshtomp and was still getting used to walking around on two legs, but remained utterly, endearingly, positive that sidling up to Felix and muttering an embarrassed request to bring this kirlia along with them, couldn't be refused.

Shira hadn't been a problem though, so Felix was happy to dig out a spare pokéball for the kirlia, quickly naming her Isolde to match the mon that brought her into their ever-growing group.

Isolde had accepted the capture device with barely a rock of the pokéball and was immediately let out to get to know the team, sidling up timidly to Tristan and remaining by his side as the conversation moved on from the quiet kirlia to matters relating to Felix's constant threats to his life.

It would be some time before she would say the same of Felix as Tristan had earlier that day...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, when I first started giving names to my pokémon, I had a lot of trouble. The Hoenn Team was the first proper one and only Zephyr was easy to name. I ultimately named the gardevoir I had on team Isolde, to match the swampert named Tristan, but I originally was going to call her Jade. Dunno why, just seemed like an alright name. I like Isolde more though, even if she acts nothing like the mythological Isolde :P
> 
> So these do seem to be getting a wee bit smaller. Ultimately due to the fact that out of all the pokémon Felix has already caught, and possibly even those yet to come, Isolde was the easiest. Her conversation with Tristan was scarcely more than a "How do you do?" before she asked to come along. No hidden agenda to her abrupt appearance or eagerness to join up with a human, oh my word no, not at all...
> 
> However! While I cannot say for certain how long the next chapter will be, the final seventh member of the Hoenn Team has much more planned in mind! So never fear.


	13. Athreos the Unusual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again. So last chapter was really short, yeah... I may go back and redo it one day, definitely not my best work. This one, however, was a lot of fun to write. So with any luck it's done a little more interestingly than the last? Either way, I hope you all enjoy.

_Location – Hoenn, 3 Years After Beginning Journey_

_Age 13_

_Mount Pyre_

* * *

"Okay, tell me again, why are we here?" Felix asked, eyes flicking from right to right constantly. "I'm not good with graveyards. Remember, whole evil murderous pikachu thing? Happened in a graveyard... more than once."

"Come on short stuff." Malissa nudged him with an elbow. "You can't be that scared or else you wouldn't have even made it this far."

"Yeah!" Tristan agreed, patting him on the back with a big, wet, hand. Didn't affect Felix much, Tristan having swam him across to the graveyard mountain in the first place. "What better way to get over your fear than to face it?"

"I have no interest 'facing' that creature again," Felix snapped back. "Four times is enough. Enough I say!"

"He can just try to mess with us," Zephyr said, swooping down to let his voice be heard. "One look at me and he'll be running for his mummy! Haha!"

"If this pikachu is anything like what you've said before," Isolde chipped in, the kirlia sending a reproachful look up at Zephyr. "He probably killed his mother."

"That can't be true," Joey argued, floating down to circle Isolde. "What kind of anything would do that?"

"How would you know, were you not created by humans?" Isolde asked.

"WAS NOT!" Joey shouted, face and whole body going a dark grey.

"Joey, look at me." Malissa grabbed his attention and physically pulled him away from Isolde. "Don't listen, don't listen. You're alright. Right?"

"Of course I'm alright." Joey was all smiles again, anger receding almost immediately.

"If you've all done putting your thoughts of the matter in?" Felix began. "Let's go back to the fact that I still do not want to go in there."

"Come on," Tristan urged, grabbing an arm and tugging him along. Felix stubbornly dug his feet into the sand. They were right at the entrance-way to the opening to the graveyard and the human had no desire to go any further. "You've come this far. We can't turn back now."

"Technically we could," Isolde said. "Nothing preventing us. No untameable force or hostile presence behind us. Nothing at all."

"Why are you talking like that?" Felix narrowed his eyes, Isolde looked away. "Why did you say that like that. 'No hostile presence behind us'. What does that mean?"

"What do you think it means?" Isolde shrugged. "Nothing is behind us. Except sand. Water. Pokémon, probably."

"What kind of pokémon?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You're a Psychic type!"

"Doesn't mean I can 'see all like a mystical mon' ooh." She waggled her fingers as she ooh'd. "Come now Felix, if there was something hostile behind us, and I knew, I would tell you. Not beat around the bush."

Felix took all that in, nodding along, before sighing. "Sorry. I get paranoid about whatever is trying to kill me this day or that. Get's away with me sometimes."

Tristan decided it was time to try pulling Felix along again, and this time Felix acquiesced and let his pokémon drag him into the graveyard.

"Plus it's not like it's every day your life comes under threat," Malissa decided to say as they were relieved from the harsh sunlight of the day. "Since I've been on the team, you've only died maybe ten times in a few of your fancy human 'months'. And you didn't die even once! Impressive."

"Let's not talk about this," Felix grumbled as they followed the blue fire lamps along a passageway. "Really isn't helping."

"I never said that trying to help." Malissa smiled. "Just making an observation."

* * *

"Well this is uncomfortable," Tristan stated.

"Should we do something...?" Joey asked.

"You first, I'll back you up." Zephyr ruffled his wings.

"Oh sure, you go for the front, I'll go for the back. That'd make all the sense," Malissa scoffed.

"Perhaps it'd be best to simply wait." Isolde nodded. "It looks like they are nearly done. Oh wait, I think she's assaulting him. Hm."

"WHAT! We gotta save him." Without even pausing to check the validity of her claim, all four of the other pokémon immediately rushed forward in a miasma of claws, talons, water and fire.

Felix heard the approaching chaos and turned curiously, wondering what had spooked his pokémon. "WHOA!" he shrieked and dived out of the way. The water and fire splashed harmlessly off the wall, but Zephyr's Facade attack and Malissa's Shadow Claw both gouged holes in the wall. Thankfully, Felix was well out of the way of any graves.

"What the hell was THAT about?" Felix demanded, he was ignored as usual.

"Get down!" Zephyr shouted, swooping back down and slamming into Felix's face. He was already on the ground.

"Get off me!" Felix demanded, voice terribly muffled by feathers and bird.

"I will protect you with my body and, if it comes to it, my life!" Zephyr shouted back, flapping furiously to remain in place.

Grasping Zephyr around the middle, Felix forced him off his face and tossed him to the side. Spitting feathers, he glared at his pokémon. "What were you all thinking?"

"You were getting attacked."

"By some creepy girl."

"So we came to defend you."

"Cause you can't protect yourself. Obviously."

"What made you think I was being attacked?" Felix demanded. "I was having a lovely, if slightly terrifying, conversation with... where did she go?" Felix looked around, realising his companion had vanished. "Where did she go? Did you five scare her off?"

"Five?" Isolde asked, affronted.

"She lunged towards you," Tristan spluttered, waving his arms. "All ghastly and creepy. We were just watching, wondering what you were talking about-"

"I know what they were talking about." Malissa raised a hand.

"And then." Tristan pressed on, not rising to Malissa's bait. "Isolde points out she's attacking you and we all rushed in to help."

"Attacking?" Felix asked. "What. No. She was talking about 'destiny' and 'chosen ones' and 'ones' and we talked a bit, said goodbye, and she went to leave. Then you five-"

"Four." Isolde interrupted again.

"You 'four' went and attacked us. Or... her. You were aiming for her? Why? She was a bit..." Felix glanced around to make sure she wasn't in earshot. "A bit weird, but nothing harmful."

"But she like," Tristan stammered.

"We saw her just go..." Zephyr tried to find the words.

"She went straight through you!" Joey was the first to finish his sentence. "Like whoosh, she just stepped right through you and disappeared. Like a spirit."

"Indeed." Isolde nodded. "Her aura was a deeply uncomfortable one for me to surveil. And I was unable for long. Needless to say, when I witnessed her make a sudden movement towards you, I acted rashly. Perhaps, emotionally. I apologise to you, and everyone else, for my mistake." She clasped her hands together and gave a short bow.

Seeing her display and the earnest apology made all of Felix's anger wash away. "Oh Isolde, it's fine. I understand, you were just trying to protect me. Thank you. And everyone else." She met everyone's eyes in sequence. "Thanks too. It's nice to know you're all willing to react that fast to protect me. Especially considering how nervous this place makes me." He smiled, the first one he had managed truthfully since he set foot on the beachfront that preceded the graveyard.

"Well we've come here, paid our respects, shall we leave?" Isolde asked, receiving nods all around. Smiling, she shared a minute nod with Malissa, and stepped into place beside Felix as he, rather quickly, led them out of Mount Pyre.

It took the rest of the day, multiple battles with eager trainers, but they reached Lilycove City by dusk, checking into the first Pokémon Centre they saw.

Felix quickly handed over Tristan, Malissa, Joey and Zephyr to the Nurse Joy running the Pokémon Centre. He had offered to put Isolde into care herself, despite not having battled at all, but she refused.

"There is truly no need," Isolde said. "I am not tired, injured, or sick. I'd be more comfortable not wasting this healers resources." With that it was decided that Isolde would stick with him for the rest of the night.

It wasn't late enough to retire to a room, so Felix instead chose to loiter in the foyer of the centre, watching the trainers that came in and out. One particular group caught his attention; partially due to its size of six people, partially due to them approaching him with an offer.

"We are on our way to Mount Pyre," one of them, Felix supposed this guy might be the groups informal leader, told him. "There are rumours that powerful Ghost type pokémon can be caught there, so we are going to find them. We could always use more reinforcements, supposedly the strongest ones come out at midnight." It was Six PM at the time and Felix wasn't sure if the group could manage that trip in six hours unless they had enough pokémon to ride the way there.

Either way. "No thank you. I just came from Mount Pyre. Plus..." he frowned slightly. "Mount Pyre is a graveyard."

"Obviously." Another one of them, a girl, said to him. "Why do you think there are strong Ghost's there?"

Felix frowned harder, the implications only got more disturbing the more he considered it. "Well, no thanks. I didn't go there to try and catch a pokémon, plus I already have a sableye who's more than enough Ghost for me. Thanks for asking."

Seeing he wasn't interested, they moved on to other trainers. Felix watched them, small frown on his face as they circled more than one reluctant trainer and gathered up another two people. By the time seven o'clock rolled around they had gathered their equipment, pokémon, and were ready to leave.

Before they could, however, Nurse Joy found some time to step away from the front desk or working on an injured pokémon to confront the group. Not feeling guilty in the least for eavesdropping, Felix listened in as she lambasted them.

"Excuse me? Yes, hello. I have overheard your plans to catch Ghost pokémon at Mount Pyre. Is this correct? Yes? Very well. I believe I should ask you to reconsider. Several small towns surrounding Mount Pyre have received an influx of Ghost pokémon, especially at night. These 'expeditions' so many young trainers are going on to catch Ghost's are driving them out of Mount Pyre and into towns, causing a massive spike in mental, emotional, and spiritual-based damage for both humans and pokémon. Please reconsider your efforts, you would only be perpetuating this cycle and the likelihood you would catch what you want is very unlikely."

After saying her piece, Nurse Joy stepped back. She could see on their faces most of them disregarded her words, one of the people that had been 'convinced' to join however took this moment to back out.

Shaking her head sadly, Nurse Joy prepared for a long night as the trainers exited, hooting and chanting in excitement. Felix watched all this in silence, staring after the group as turmoil raged in his head.

Isolde sat next to him, silent but steady, even without reaching out she could feel a bit of Felix's mental state and made sure to stick close to him. After nearly twenty minutes of silent deliberation, he sighed, stood up and went to the video phone.

Punching in a number he could recite in his sleep, and had in fact been told he occasionally did, Felix waited slightly longer than normal before the call was answered.

"Good evening Felix," the baritone voice of Professor Rowan greeted him. "What do I owe the pleasure of a call this early?"

"Hi professor." Felix smiled tiredly. "Can you send me... Shira? Yeah, definitely Shira. I have a small situation I think she could help me with, and all my other pokémon besides Isolde are in recovery. So just Shira?"

"Certainly," Rowan replied. "It won't take a moment to fetch her. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Nothing at the moment."

"Very well." Rowan disappeared from the camera, and Felix waited silently. True to the mans experience, he returned with a pokéball that Felix could see contained the persian within only a few minutes. "Here we are. She was burrowed in an absolute mess, and was not happy being woken up. I do hope you do not cop too harsh a treatment from her for this."

"I'll be fine," Felix replied. "Thanks Professor Rowan."

"It is no problem Felix." Rowan smiled. "Have a good night."

"And you have a good day," Felix replied.

Professor Rowan ended the call and Felix waited again as the transfer machine lit up, electrical currents channelling the pokéball from Sinnoh all the way to Hoenn within a few seconds. Felix took the pokéball and turned to Isolde. "I'm going after those trainers. I just know they are going to get in trouble. Do you want to stay here? I can get us a room before I go."

Isolde stared up at him for a short moment before shaking her head. "A few months ago, I probably would have taken that. But no, I think I would like to come with you."

"You think?" Felix smiled cheekily. "The vote of confidence is inspiring Isolde." Before the kirlia could puff up on him, Felix looked to Nurse Joy. "I think I'm going to go after those trainers," he called, receiving a shielded frown from the nurse. "To stop them. What they are doing is wrong."

Nurse Joy blinked, then smiled, then frowned in concern. "Be careful," she urged. "What they are doing is technically not illegal. Yet. But there are many of them and they do not seem to wish to listen."

"If nothing else, I can mitigate what they do," Felix said, palming Shira's pokéball. "With any luck, I'll be back soon. With plenty of company."

Releasing Shira into the world; he quickly explained what was going on so she wouldn't scratch him to ribbons, getting away with only minor blood loss. The persian quickly fell into pace with him, taking only three minutes before moving past any sort of subtlety and saying.

"You're thinking about him. Aren't you?"

"Which him?"

"Oh please," Shira scoffed. "A certain pikachu who just can't help but try and kill you. Multiple times. One you yourself have continued to avoid killing as well. You're thinking about him."

"Y-yeah. I can't help it! Graveyard! I always go back to him, which sucks because there was a pokémon graveyard near my hometown and I loved going there. It's basically the whole reason I love Ghost type pokémon. But BRVR ruined them for me."

Shira twitched slightly at the name. "Do you think he's close now?" she asked.

"No." Felix shook his head. "No. If I really thought he was around, I'd have an army of you guys, not just two."

"Hey," Isolde said, but clammed up when Shira gave her a dour look.

"Please honey, if that monster comes around tonight you'll die for sure."

"Shira!"

"That's... comforting." Isolde gave Shira a bland smile, receiving a toothy one in response.

"Shira, don't... don't say things like that."

The persian sighed and nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. Don't worry Isolde, Felix and I can tell when he's around. We've both got a sort of 'sense' for him. Hey, you might develop one too in time. He's not around tonight, but he tends to come after Felix eventually. Get stronger."

"Shira," a note of warning entered Felix's voice, but this time Shira pushed back.

"Oh come on. Even Emma fights when he shows up." Turning to Isolde, she said. "Look. I get you don't like to battle, it's all contests or nothing with you, and you don't even like the battle part of those things. Felix is a great human, you won't be judged for not liking to battle. But sometimes you have to. You lived in the wild like the rest of us. You know that. Even if you haven't, you would have known someone who did have to. Possibly to protect you. Family and all."

If Shira and Felix noticed Isolde flinching slightly at that, they didn't comment on it.

"And hopefully you won't have to fight for your life, or the lives of others, but Felix tends to get into trouble a lot. You are gonna have to toughen up, because when the time comes. And it will come. When the time comes you are going to need to be able to do something. And since we are walking into a nest of angry Ghost's, that time may come sooner than you'd like."

"Don't worry about it," Felix said right as Shira finished, ignoring the sharp look she sent him. "We are not expecting a fight. Shira's just, somehow, more paranoid than me. If things are looking bad, those guys got themselves into this mess on purpose. If we can't help, or too risky, we'll find help."

Isolde smiled slightly, but on the inside she was still feeling ill.

Shira scoffed. "Yeah. Sure we will."

* * *

"Ugh. How long is this trip?" Shira growled.

"It took us about eight hours," Isolde answered, smiling slightly as Shira growled again.

"Why didn't you get Sahara, or Adrien. Both can fly and carry you. Heck, even Diego, he's big and fast, he could have carried us and we wouldn't have had to walk forever."

"I would have had to send Isolde to Rowan," Felix answered, somewhat irritated at everything in general. It was almost midnight and he had spent most of the day and night on his feet. "I didn't want to do that."

'Why not?" Shira demanded.

"We are still getting to know her," Felix answered, forcing a smile as he glanced down at the kirlia strolling beside him. "Isn't that right Isolde?"

"We know each other quite well at this point," Isolde answered, eyes drooping.

"See!" Shira jabbed a sore paw at the kirlia. "You caught her months ago, like... badge three or something. You've got six now, six! We've all known Isolde for ages now."

"Well I feel like I barely know her," Felix snapped back, patience growing thin. "I have had Isolde with us for months, yet I still feel like I caught her yesterday. I don't know anything about her."

"You know I'm still here, right?" Isolde asked, causing Felix to cringe.

"Yeah. Sorry. I know it's rude to talk about someone who's there. But it's true, I barely know you. The only time we've ever spent any time together is the two Contests we've done together, and those were both just the appeals round."

"Which we failed on both accounts," Isolde pointed out.

"Exactly. I feel like if I knew you better, we would be more in sync, we'd be able to make a better appeal. Work together. Not the awkward, 'you do this! Then that' thing we've got going on."

"You don't tell me to do much."

"Because I don't know how to talk to you. Not that I have a bunch of orders for you," Felix corrected at the bemused look she gave him. "Just... I can chat to any of the others about something, anything. But I don't know what to say around you. Do you like food? What kind? What's your favourite colour? What do you like to do outside of battle? You'd think I'd know that since you don't battle, but I don't. You just stand around, or sit away from everyone. Seriously, you only seem to talk to Tristan and that's because he's always coming to you."

"Indeed..." Isolde admitted. "He does do most of the talking. I just nod along, or give yes or no answers." They walked in an awkward silence for a few minutes, Shira silently impressed that there was so much that hadn't been done so far. Eventually, Isolde spoke. "I do not know how to socialise very well," she managed to spit out. "The only others I ever interacted with where my family, a very limited circle of acquaintances, and... uh. Kirlia. Another kirlia. When I was a ralts. He was... well. He was-"

Whatever she was going to say would go unsaid, as something triggered Shira's well honed senses, Isolde's psychic observations, and Felix's paranoid reflexes. All three of them spun on a dark figure, one who had blended near-perfectly into the shadows.

"Show yourself."

"Who's there?"

"Step forward scoundrel."

They all said at once, the shadowy figure rippled for a moment, as if a stone had been dunked in a pond of ink, before it did approach. From the shadows of the trees and into the light of the full moon, a sinister skull leered at them, single red orb floating lazily between the eyeholes.

Someone shrieked, someone growled, another leapt back.

"Do not be afraid," the beings voice was like the ticking of a clock in an empty mausoleum. "I bring no ill-will towards you."

"Who are you?" Shira demanded, claws extended and tendrils of Dark energy already swirled around the sharpest of them.

"I am a guide, of sorts," the pokémon said, right as Felix pulled up his pokédex. "A duskull, if you prefer."

Felix's pokédex chimed:  _A_ _glare from its single scarlet eye makes even burly grown-ups freeze in utter fear. It is a nocturnal Pokémon that roams about under the cloak of darkness_.

"Charming," Isolde said. "I believed you looked familiar."

The duskull gave a shuddery sound they weren't sure was laughter or sobbing of a sort of existential crisis. "Kirlia. Psychic and Fairy. A pleasure to meet you." It's voice had become far less ethereal, and more pleasant with something of an accent.

"You said you were a guide?" Felix asked, standing safe behind both of his pokémon. "What kind of guide?"

"It will be some time before I ever qualify to guide lost souls," the duskull explained, catching Felix's suspicion. "Right now, I am a guide to lost travellers. Or, perhaps, not so lost. You walk with purpose, reluctance, yet determination. Similar to the others before you, all loud and filled with positive energy, but more reserved. And far more negative energy, oh yes, you seem interesting human. It is not common to be understood by the minds of humans, not as a duskull at least..."

"I can understand pokémon, yes," Felix explained. "But you said others had come through? How long ago?"

"Something of an hour ago, in your human terms of the passage of time," the duskull said. "A full seven of them. An interesting number, considering their goal. Considering their fates."

"That's definitely them," Felix said excitedly. "Listen, we are on our way to stop them. Those trainers want to catch Ghost pokémon at Mount Pyre and are not listening to normal reasoning. But I'm not going to just sit around as they cause problems for humans AND pokémon, so I want to catch them and stop them. You said you were a guide, can you lead us to them?"

"I can."

"Will you, is the question," Shira said, claws still extended and still wrapped in Dark energy.

"I will."

"Great." Felix grinned, stepping past his defenders and up to the duskull. "Thank you for understanding and for doing this for us." He had gone for a shake, but quickly realised the duskull had nothing to shake with.

"It will be my pleasure," the duskull said, floating past Felix. "This way, you were on the correct path but now you will face no hesitation in your journey."

"Let's go," Felix said to the pair of silent pokémon.

"Can we trust this duskull?" Shira asked, quietly, as she and Isolde fell into step behind Felix.

"To lead us to the correct destination? I believe so," Isolde answered.

"And what will we find when we get there?"

"What we came for." Was all Isolde would say.

* * *

There was little sound to distract the quartet as the duskull led the way, only the cracking of twigs and leaves. The overwhelming silence was rather uncomfortable for Felix, even if Shira and Isolde were more comfortable with it than he was.

It was the duskull of the four that broke the silence first. "You two," it whispered, voice regaining the ethereal resonance from before. Shira's ears perked and Isolde turned her gaze from the ground to the duskull. "You do not like me," it said, ever so bluntly.

"I do not know you well enough to form an opinion one way or another," Isolde said, rousing a laugh from the duskull.

"A most defensive answer," it giggled, eye bouncing between eye-sockets yet remaining focused on the kirlia. "No commitment, no allowance, no information you are willing to divulge." It was not a question. "What about you?" it asked, eye bouncing to stare at Shira, Felix decided to discretely step out of her way.

"You make me uncomfortable," she said honestly. "And I can't decide whether my instinct not to trust you is due to that feeling, or something else."

"You mean Ghost pokémon?" it asked. "Or just me?"

"Ghosts in general," Shira answered, meeting its eye unwavering. "I can never figure out their intentions. I don't like that."

"An understandable bias," the duskull agreed, ethereal quality dropping from its voice. "But a hurtful one nevertheless. Few Ghost's are truly mean spirited, our temperaments may be different from yours, but this does not mean they are wrong or bad." The duskull than tittered.

"If that was a pun," Isolde said, shaking her head in disgust. "Then... I don't even know."

"Surely one such as yourself can appreciate such wordplay?" The duskull tittered again. "Kirlia of the Fairy."

"And Psychic," Isolde stated, giving the duskull a dark look.

"Of course, of course. Still..." the duskull's eye drifted back to Shira. "We have strayed. Persian of the Normal, do you believe an aspect of your uninspired Power is what causes such hostility?"

"Excuse me?" Shira started.

"And that it may be simple combination of fear and cowardice that halts you from even attempting to understand?" the duskull continued, unperturbed by her interruption.

"Ooy!" Felix snapped, hearing the blatant rudeness. "That was uncalled for."

"Duskull? Duskull, duskull," the duskull said.

"That's not funny," Felix said, voice flat and unamused.

"I thought it was funny." The duskull's body rippled, closest thing it could give to a shrug without any shoulders.

"Well it wasn't."

"Children, please." Isolde soothed. Turning to Felix she gestured to the duskull. "He is simply trying to get to you. Do not let him."

"Him?" Shira asked. "You can tell?"

"Psychic."

"I'd say it was the Fairy in her," the duskull said. "Never know what they know."

"So you are a male?" Felix asked, getting back on track.

"Indeed."

"Do you have a name? Sorry, I just realised I didn't ask."

"Perhaps..." the duskull mused. "What is a name? The title of what I am? For that, you are free to call me Duskull. Who I am? I am afraid such a thing you should never know. Who I was? Futile, for even I do not know. Who I am to be? Hahahaha..."

Seeing something to dig her claws into, Shira impulsively spoke. "My human knows who I am," she boasted, causing both Isolde and the duskull to pause. "Imagine having someone you could trust with that sort of information." She trailed off into a feline grin of terrible proportions. "Something I suppose a Ghost like you could never find."

There was a moment of heavy silence, Felix felt exceptional pressure when two sets of eyes, plus a single one focusing in the right eye-socket, turned to him. With his mouth feeling incredibly dry, he nodded. "Yeah," he said, nearly coughing once he felt how parched his throat was. "I know. Not just Shira either."

As soon as he said that, he regretted it.

Shira's eyes lost a small glint of their pride. The confident knowledge that she had something with her trainer that no other pokémon, not even Keira, had. It was silly, Shira told herself, it only proved Felix's trustworthiness. She could still hold onto the fact that she was the first pokémon to tell him.

"Who else?" Shira asked, unable to stop herself.

"Adrien," Felix answered, looking more uncomfortable with each name he listed. "Diego. Tania. And Andrew."

Frowning slightly, Shira noted the rather glaring name missing. "Not Keira?" She received a head shake. "Why?"

"I don't know." Felix shrugged. "It's not like I'm going to ask her what it is. If she wants to tell me, she can. Simple as that."

Still, Shira had walked side by side Felix for years. Perhaps not quite as long as Keira, or Diego; but she was still third place in that regard, she could see it bothered Felix.

Feeling sorry for bringing it up, for a petty ego boost that now felt hollow, Shira turned her head. "You are a real nuisance aren't you?" She glared at the duskull who had the gall to look innocent.

As innocent as a floating skull in a shroud of darkness could at least.

"I personally did nothing," he defended. "I do, however, find it hilarious. My, my, my you do have a few issues don't you? Ah yes, I can taste them, they are so strong I can almost see them." Shira froze up as the duskull circled her. "Pain. Pain. Pain. Terror. Hatred. Oh my yes, such delicious hatred." He breathed in deeply, sound rattling everyone's bones, chilling Felix even as he wanted to intervene. "The others have faded over time, yet left their scars, but you never have let go of the hatred. Who hurt you so? And where can I meet them?"

That was enough to break the chill the duskull laid over her.

Shira laughed.

Laughed hard.

The sound was high and terrible, echoing out through the trees and the mist, carrying an emotion more terrifying than the ghosts of the past that caused it. Even the duskull seemed perturbed, floating away from the laughing persian, bumping it's light body into Felix before realising the human was even there.

"Where is he? The Ghost asks." Shira snorted, shaking from the hysterics. "I don't know you. You don't know me. For all your ways, you don't deserve to know. Pray, that you never will."

Shaking her head at the duskull, Shira's right paw extended its claws and she unleashed a Night Slash. A ripple of darkness cut the air near the shroud of the duskull, causing it to shriek from the close cut it had.

Allowing her paw to return to normal, Shira hissed. "Do not test me little Ghost. Lead us to where the trainers my human wishes to stop, then melt away and leave us. Or you may attract the attention of something you will come to regret."

Silently, the duskull obeyed, floating past Shira and gesturing for them to follow. Felix and Isolde shared a glance, before hastening to keep in step with the Normal and Ghost pokémon.

"It isn't far now," the duskull said. "The others have already claimed them."

* * *

"What is  _this_?" Felix demanded, turning furiously to the duskull that floated by his head.

He and Shira, Isolde and the duskull, were all situated on a rocky outcrop, not a few steps away from the shoreline. The final hurdle to Mount Pyre, the ocean, was laid out before them, but it seemed that Felix succeeded in part one of his mission: To catch the group before they made it.

How he had caught them, however, left him feeling slightly sick.

Felix had witnessed the danger of pokémon many times. A pokémon crashed the plane he rode in on the very first day he was an official trainer, nearly killing him and many others. He had suffered BRVR's wretched attention multiple times. He had experienced Team Rocket, Team Aqua and Team Magma, with all three still out there. He had seen evil pokémon.

It was something Felix found rather shameful that as he stared forwards, witnessing other humans being slowly drained of their very lives, that the most he could muster was mild disgust. Embarrassed, that he could view a horde of writhing Ghost pokémon, doing their damnedest to frighten seven humans to death, and think that he'd seen worse.

Shaking the morbid thoughts off, to the duskull's disappointment, he turned to the three pokémon that had joined him. "What is this?" Felix asked again, tone more even now that the shock had worn off.

"Our retribution," the duskull answered.

"You're going to hurt them," Felix said. "Kill them?"

"Death is not so bad. This passing may even birth new Ghost's, and then these humans will understand what we do, why we have done this, what it is like to be tormented by humans. Many of us are tormented enough," the duskull said.

Felix held its crimson gaze long enough to impress it. "You believe this action is unwarranted? To these continuous trespassers. Those that would seek power among the graves?"

Felix held its eye.

"You, a human that can hear, and yet, of course, still human under it all. I thought, perhaps, something was more to you, that there was a reason you had been gifted. Perhaps there is, but I do not have the patience to see it through. You have been given the gift to understand, and yet you squander it."

Felix refused to blink, even as his eyes watered from the effort.

"These humans have infringed, this is their fate. It is not a punishment, what joy my compatriots gain in this endeavour is merely their need to feed. No more than the hunger that stems from your own stomach."

Felix remained, immovable.

"...What do you think to gain from this endeavour? This disagreement. You cannot stop them. I cannot stop them. Your judgement is only damning due to your lack of sight. You hear, but do not listen. You see, but do not understand. You..." the duskull twitched, shifting under the pressure of Felix's eyes. "Stop. Stop looking at me like that. Enough!"

For the first time since meeting the duskull, it rose its voice. It was barely anything compared to the clamour across the ridge, where the laughter of Ghost's and cries of the damned reigned supreme. Enough to gather some attention, however.

Felix blinked. Slowly, not changing his expression. Once his eyes had stopped watering, he returned to staring at the duskull. "Stop them," he said, to the duskull's combined relief and irritation. "Now. If you let your friends kill them, you'll have the entire region down upon you. Ghost's aren't immortal, do you really think this is going to fix things? It's just going to bring the full wrath of the Pokémon League down, and if you are as smart as you think you are, you can figure out that you don't stand a chance against all those humans."

The duskull hesitated. "You do not know me," it said. "You don't know them. Any of them. Why do you care?"

Part of Felix wondered who the duskull was referring to. The other humans, or the other Ghost's, ultimately he decided the answer was what he wanted it to be. "Because I came to help. You know that, don't you?" Felix smiled, letting the intensity drop for a moment. "That's why you didn't just lead me right into the middle of the trap. You warned me beforehand, so I wouldn't join them. Instead you brought me this close, and for what? What did YOU think I'd do here?"

"I do not know," came the honest answer. "I was curious, I must admit."

"Stop them," Felix replied.

"I can try," the duskull answered. "Your argument towards our destruction is an interesting one. It may not work so well on everyone... remain out of sight, if they realise you are here you will be finished."

With that, the duskull flew out to join the cacophony.

The three of them watched anxiously; Isolde laid a hand on Felix's back, Shira pressed up against his side. They weren't in the thick of the maelstrom, not even the edges, but even then the sheer energy was haunting to experience.

Slowly, somehow, small pieces of it began to break away. A gastly flying away, a misdreavus disappearing into the night. But it was too little, too few.

"I have done what I can," the duskull said, appearing suddenly next to the trio and causing them to jump. Ducking underneath a Night Slash reflex, the duskull bowed his head. "The bulk will not listen. It is their right, it is their destinies, I cannot sway them."

"You 'cannot', or you 'will not'?" Shira growled, but Felix raised a hand to shush her. He had noticed something, and he was too late to prevent the trio of duskull from spotting the three and belting out ear-wrenching shrieks.

They weren't speaking words, none that Felix could understand at least, only screeching. Their voices joined in as they howled, ears ringing and heads pounding from the sudden audio, and perhaps more, assault, attracting more Ghost's.

Isolde saw the duskull that had led them here melt away into the night before they were swarmed. Voices intermingling, overlapping as they began to cripple the three souls that had been spared from the onslaught.

Ghost's crashed and bumped into them, knocking Felix down and rolling him towards the other humans, Shira lashed out with claws brimming with Dark energy, barely warding off the same fate. Isolde, the most susceptible to the ghostly attack to start with, was near catatonic.

Felix's head swam; he could see faces leering at him from all angles, whispers tickled the back of his neck, speaking of the most terrible things. He could hear crying and screaming, all drowned into the background by an ever-present droning hum. It was difficult to notice at first, with everything else bombarding him, but soon enough that was all he could hear, filling his ears, pressing against the back of his eyes, invading his mind.

Felix couldn't hear himself scream. His pokémon, however.

Shira roared, sending bursts of energy-based stones in every direction, Power Gem pelting dozens of Ghost's. Isolde heard her trainer cry out and managed to use it as a stable point, allowing her to focus on that one constant solid and bring her mind back out of the static that the Ghost's had filled her with. She was not a violent or competitive person, but Isolde was still more than willing to defend herself. As powerful of a Psychic she could manage, she grabbed numerous Ghost's in a hold even they couldn't break immediately and tossed them away.

The combined attacks broke the maelstrom, ended the cacophony and restoring some sense of normality to the world.

Felix was in no immediate state to begin issuing orders, neither were any of the other trainers, but with the Ghost's paused for the moment there was time to reorient and remember that they existed again.

With claws sucking in the little light that could be found, Shira tore through the assembled Ghost's, their hesitance at being attacking stalling them from dodging. Multiple Ghost's moved to strike back, but with the sheer volume of spiritual bodies around, their own attacks struck each other, inflicting severe damage and sending the struck Ghost's into either a panic or a rampage.

While Shira continued to strike down Ghost's with wild abandon, Isolde crawled on her hands and knees to the trainers. She reached her own first, Felix being the closest to her regardless, and focused her Power and tuned it down the unique abilities her evolutionary line possessed.

Her Power was not as refined as it could be, and might still reach, but it was enough to instil a sense of calm in Felix and she reached further, feeling his mind and soothing it. Felix cracked open his eyes and grabbed her hand, giving a weak smile. "Help the others," he pleaded. Isolde hesitated, but she could feel Felix becoming distressed at the thought that she would not.

He sighed in relief as the kirlia stepped forward to help the other human trainers before dragging himself to a sitting position. Shira was still bringing hell upon the Ghost's, enough of them having fallen that the horde had broken and many had fled. From what he could see, most of them had few moves besides the natural Ghost attacks, something that would fail to effect Shira. She erupted into flames a few times, the result of a Burn condition, but despite it Shira continued slashing the Ghost's to ribbons.

But beyond the rage filled eyes that blinded Shira, Felix spotted another. Flashes of deep purple each time an enemy got too clever and snuck up on Shira, the flash would reveal just a taste of black and white, before the assailant was felled, Shira none the wiser.

Felix smiled. "Shira!" he called, voice hoarse from just the short screaming he had done, a memory that already seemed to distant it may have been a dream. "Enough. They're gone."

She spun on him, heaving for breath, murder still in her eyes. The anger began to recede, until she spotted something shifting by her trainers shoulder. A wordless cry ripped itself from Shira's throat and she leapt forward, claws wrapped so far in Dark energy they extended over a meter. Felix yelped and dove to the side, allowing Shira to skewer the duskull that had been hovering over him.

Ready to attack.

"Shira what are you-"

Felix was cut off when something hit him, causing him to yelp again. Shira turned on the new assailant with utter fury, only to pause. A pair of misdreavus collapsed before a duskull's attack.

"You're welcome," their old friend said, before nodding past Shira. She spun, claws flashing, and felled another Ghost.

"What should I be welcome for?" Shira shot back, fury receded but anger still present. She slashed and knocked aside a more clever Psywave attack.

"For my invaluable help," the duskull replied, disappearing into his shadow, then reappearing to batter a larger duskull away from Isolde. "You really didn't think your little anger shower had really done all this?"

"I think you overestimate your own power," Shira replied, smirking as she turned to him. "Skulking in the shadows, taking pot shots when you can. I've been ripping through your old buddies."

"They'll regenerate." The duskull waved her off. "But you only delivered one hit to most of them, who do you think finished them off? All the dusclops where knocked out or driven away by yours truly."

"So you admit you can only deliver the last poke?" Shira laughed.

"At least I can finish something."

They continued bantering as they cleared a safe spot, a holding point to guard and catch their breaths.

"This isn't good," the duskull noted as they drove the last of the enemies from their ground. "They are regrouping. Think you can withstand our little song again?"

"So it IS our," Shira called back. "Can decide who's side you'd prefer to be on?"

"I do love an underdog," the duskull mused. "But I prefer to win. That's why all those humans the kirlia is fixing are going to win this for us. Hey, speaker!" Felix perked his head when he realised he was being spoken to. "Rally the humans. If any of you want to get out of here alive, they are going to need to bring all the power they can. If just getting their pokémon out will help, they were all hypnotised or otherwise disabled earlier, and it looks like none of their capture devices have been removed."

"Keen eyed little creature you are," Shira noted as she looked the duskull up and down. "Just how big were you in on this whole 'murder party'?"

"I'll tell you when you die," the duskull replied. Shira snorted.

"Just get the humans up Felix," Shira ordered, receiving an eye roll in response.

"Everyone!" Felix yelled. Isolde had done what she could and they were at least conscious and not screaming. "They're coming back, get ready!"

He braced as Shira and the duskull held steady in front of them. There was a moment, before Felix glanced back. There had been no metallic ting of pokéball's being opened. "Guys. Come on. I didn't come all the way here to do all the work. Get your pokémon out NOW!"

Raising his voice seemed to snap a few of them into gear. One thing Felix could say was admirable about these particular trainers, they were resilient.

"Stand firm," the duskull said.

"Get ready," Shira growled.

"Go for it!" Felix shouted.

The Ghost's returned as a howling vortex of fury. They met pokémon. A lot of them.

The battle was almost embarrassing to watch after that. The trainers pokémon, incensed with fury over the state of their trainers attacked the weakened Ghost's with unparalleled viciousness, breaking their coherence and sending them flying with each bombardment. It was over in minutes. The assembled Ghost's having needed to rely on underhanded tactics and their own dangers in mass, once both were stripped from them they stood no chance.

Felix did not receive the thanks he had expected for saving the trainers, several of them being disappointed the Ghost's were repelled completely rather than defeated and captured. At some point the duskull disappeared, Felix not sure if it had left or had been attacked and sent away like the rest. He guessed that was likely.

A majority of the trainers were not in a state to walk and needed to be dragged back by one, or more, of their pokémon, Felix needing to brace himself on Shira every so often.

Joy was not impressed with them when they returned, the early lights of morning only just rousing her from her bed.

After a severe telling off, one Felix was thankful to avoid, she allowed them rooms to recover in. Felix quietly handed both Isolde and Shira off to a yawning chansey and staggered into the room he had previously booked but hadn't had the occasion to use again.

Slumping on his bed, he tried to find the energy to crawl under the sheets. The will just wasn't there, and he groaned. It was cold as well. And the sheets were moving.

The sheet was not the sheet.

Eyes snapping open, Felix met one single, floating, red eye, bouncing between two empty sockets as if highly amused.

"Fantastic," he groaned, hand slapping his belt and knocking loose what he needed. Groaning in irritation he pushed against the bed, sliding off and onto the floor. The duskull glancing over the edge curiously.

"Well met compatriot," he said cheerfully, despite the light beginning to hit the window. "Now I'm sure this is going to be somewhat of a shock, but have you consid-" Felix cut him off, having found the pokéball he dislodged and smacking it against the bony plate of the duskull's face. He had done the song and dance before, he knew what it wanted.

The ball rocked only once, somehow exuding insufferable amusement with the single twitch, before clicking shut.

"Welcome to the team, Athreos," Felix groaned and then let sleep blissfully take him.

He had picked out a name not twenty minutes after meeting the duskull.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the way it goes.
> 
> This was a fun chapter to write. Definitely the biggest of these Hoenn chapters. Might be the longest Hoenn capture chapter of them all, I have no idea how the seventh and final one will go. She IS my favourite of the bunch, so who knows? Either way, I'm tired, placement is almost over, but it is late and I must sleep.
> 
> Oh, and I thought I'd say this before I forget, on my profile page on Fanfiction . net I am GOING to write up a small segment on my whole 'True Name' thing I've got going on with my story and headcannon's and such. Not just now, sleeeeeep, but hopefully tomorrow. It's nothing too big, just something I enjoy the idea of and enjoy thinking of names for the pokémon. I've got a big list of all of Felix's pokémon and their 'True Names' so trust me it is something I've put some thought into! Hope you've enjoyed this. Goodnight.


	14. Lilith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was thinking over this chapter and what goes on in it. It isn't going to be as long as the previous, much more in line with the first 5 of these little chapters. Mostly because the real bulk of what goes on in this chapter is located in Lilith's backstory, which is not covered in this chapter. We'll show where and why she is the way she is later. For now, however, enjoy.
> 
> I will, however, give a warning here. Some gore in this chapter. As not wanting to inflict nightmares on anyone, including myself, I have avoided putting too much detail to the descriptions, but there is a pretty gross moment in this chapter.

_Location_ _– Hoenn, Three Years After Beginning Journey_

_Age 13_

_Route 120_

* * *

"What is the plan?" Was the question of the day.

The most recent Gym Battle had been fought. And failed. Tate and Liza of Mossdeep City's gym had proven to be a challenge to unique for Felix and his pokémon to prevail over their first go around. Besides giving Felix flashbacks to the last Psychic Gym he failed at, he and his pokémon had stepped back to do some training.

"Double battles," Felix muttered under his breath. "How do you keep track of everything? Especially when you're fighting two people at once. Psychic twins, they don't even need to say anything and they and their pokémon know what's going on."

The young twins had proven age means little to a Gym Leader when they had unparalleled teamwork on their side. Felix wasn't able to defeat their claydol and xatu, let alone progress to what they still had to use. Tristan and Athreos, Malissa and Joey. All four of them fell before even one of the Gym Leader's pokémon went down.

They hadn't suffered a loss like that in a while. Felix at least, his Hoenn Team had never suffered quite an embarrassing defeat like that up to that point. Only Zephyr and Isolde were spared from the shame gripping the other four.

Felix had no plans to bring any of his older pokémon to challenge the gym yet. It'd take quite a severe situation for him to break his silent promise to his pokémon; the promise to give the newcomers their time in the spotlight and only use pokémon he caught in the region he was in for Gym Battles. Contests were another story, but the Gym Battles were reserved for the new pokémon, to use his older pokémon whenever he pleased would rob the newer ones of many glorious battles.

So for now, they were committed to training.

Zephyr joined in on the practise as well. He wasn't a part of the Gym Battle, but he wasn't going to let himself be downgraded from anything below awesome.

Even Isolde was considering joining in...

* * *

"Tristan?" Isolde asked, stepping up to the marshtomp.

"Yes?" he answered, pausing from the high-pressured water he was spitting at a tree. It was almost entirely stripped of its leaves at that point anyway.

Isolde fidgeted slightly, tugging at the skirt-like ruffles on her hip, she wasn't sure about this. "I was thinking, perhaps, I could help you."

"Help me?" Tristan turned his full attention to Isolde. "What do you mean?"

"The Gym Battle," Isolde said. "Felix has said that it is Psychic dominated. Claydol and xatu, both are Psychic types. I am a Psychic type. You could, I think, attack me."

"What!?" Tristan gasped, horrified at the thought of attacking Isolde. "I don't want to hurt you."

"No, no!" Isolde said panicked. "I don't mean just attack me. I mean, I'm a Psychic, maybe if you trained with me you might learn how to fight one. Not that you can't already, I was just thinking..."

"But." Tristan frowned. "You don't like to battle. Not even in the contests."

"Yeah well..." Isolde glanced away, trying to say it in words that would convince him. "That just means I'm weak and my attacks won't do much anyway, so you won't get tired. Oh, but it would still help I'm sure! I'm not that weak, I could probably knock you out if I wanted... oh, no I didn't mean that. I... argh." Isolde stopped, bent her head, caught her breath, and tried again. "Tristan. As a Psychic pokémon I believe I could offer some valuable insight in how to combat one, I can control my Power very well and such a contest of wills would not likely harm either one of us. Would you like to train with me?"

Tristan stared at her in silence, leaving Isolde feeling exposed. A feeling she much preferred to avoid. Tristan had saved her, however, so she felt the need to be brace for this.

"Are you sure?" Tristan said, after some time.

"Yes." Isolde nodded as determinedly as she could.

"Then that would be brilliant!" Tristan smiled, allowing Isolde to relax and beam back at him. "I'll go grab the others, this could be just what we need!" Before Isolde could interject, make it clear this was an offer for just him, Tristan was off.

He wasn't exactly fast. Isolde could easily catch him and explain what she really meant.

 _"Old habits die hard,"_  Isolde thought to herself, grimacing on the inside.  _"Can't bring myself to tell anyone what I really mean. Of course."_

Shaking her head, Isolde decided to go after Tristan. Before she could walk more than three steps, something hit her mind. A rush of agony, fear, terror, pain, death, death, death, death death death death death-

* * *

The Ghost pokémon had gathered to discuss the Psychic menace.

"Yeah, let's drag her through the four cycles of hell!" Malissa cheered.

"I was more thinking about the Gym Psychic's," Athreos muttered. "You are frightening sometimes. What is the issue between you and Isolde?"

"I was talking about the girl twin," Malissa replied, eyes visibly rolling through the diamonds covering them. "Thinking all those fancy words to the other twin. Psychic's, psh." She waved a hand dismissively.

"...Sure," Athreos acquiesced her. "Still. Both of us were unable to make much of a dent. YOU are a Dark one as well, and still the battle was an utter failure."

"Try not to use the words 'utter failure' with me as the topic, lest you want to experience that darkness as well." Malissa showed twenty-too-many teeth with that.

Athreos was unimpressed. "It sure worked on the Psychics. Oh wait, no it didn't! You're 'darkness' is barely a dim fog."

"Oh YOU WANNA GO BRO!?" Malissa went to leap at the duskull, but Athreos waved her down.

"Woah, woah, woah wait! Don't you see? They're doing it right now, getting into our heads, it's the psychic shenanigans. Don't give into them."

Malissa did pause, think it over, and nodded. "You're right. Even though you are full of complete crap, I'll go along with it. Because that's how we are going to beat them, fill them with you."

Athreos cocked his head, affronted. "Fill them with me? Moving aside the euphemism, we really do need to-"

Both Ghost's bent over from a sudden rush of something that hit them out of nowhere. Malissa's diamond eye clinked as she hit a stone, having fallen to the ground. Athreos lost the ability to float, collapsed into the ground and phased halfway into the earth.

Neither could speak. But they could feel.

Pain. Terror. Pain. Agony. Why? Why? Why? Death. death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death death-

* * *

Joey whooped as he flew high above the trees. The castform couldn't move too quickly, but he enjoyed the sensation of the wind blowing against him nonetheless. Zephyr quirked a cocky smirk on his beak as he saw the expression of bliss on Joey's face. The pair had decided to go about on their own. With Tristan being approached by Isolde and the pair of Ghost's tucked away in some sinister corner, Zephyr offered the idea of flying about for a while. Joey had accepted gleefully.

"How fast do you think I can go?" Zephyr asked.

"A million!" Joey immediately replied.

"Yeah," the swellow scoffed. "Maybe on a lazy day. Watch this!" Zephyr swooped down into a rapid dive, building up a massive boost of speed. He quickly turned, clipping through the top of a taller tree and slicing through the wood with his wing.

"Ooh," Joey gasped as he watched the top fall to the ground. "That was awesome!" he cheered and did a few spins, floating as quickly to Zephyr as he could, he circled the proud swellow. "Teach me! Teach me!"

"Sorry little buddy." Zephyr shook his head. "You're kinda lacking a few... what is that?"

Joey frowned, slowly moving to a stop and floating in place. "Yeah... what IS that?"

"Can you really hear, or are you just going with what I'm saying?"

"No, I can really hear that. Is that... yelling?"

"Sounds like screaming to me. My ears are extremely well developed, you see when I was in my egg-"

While Zephyr went off on some grandoise tangent, Joey had begun floating downwards, following the path the top of the tree had fallen and closer to the disturbance he could detect. Now that he was within the trees he could make out more sounds, bangs and cries, the clear sounds of a battle. Common enough he would normally pay it no mind, except there was something off with the sounds.

There were too many of them. They were too high, to pleading. Joey was an artificial pokémon, never living outside of human ownership, but even he could tell that those sounds were not normal in the wilds.

"Wait up kid!" Zephyr came flying down a little fast. "Don't just float off like that. You have any idea what Malissa would do to me if you got hurt?"

"I'm not a kid," Joey mumbled, distracted. Zephyr had gone to admonish him further, but his greater ears, and instincts, had picked up on what Joey was hearing as well.

"What IS that?" the swellow asked, not expecting an answer.

The swellow and castform shared a look and nodded, moving onwards to find the source of the disturbance.

It didn't take long. And the two would wish in their lowest moments to have never stumbled across it.

To call it a bloodbath would somehow be not enough to describe the carnage they found. In a clearing lined with trees, but wide enough for a free-for-all to be had, was the sight of a massacre.

Who was massacring who was not clear upon a first glance, and neither Zephyr or Joey could stand to take a second look. What they had seen was enough to turn them around and send them silently screaming for the skies.

Once they were above the trees again, Joey found his mouth was still functional, even after throwing up. "W-w-wha?" He still couldn't manage much though.

"Get Felix," Zephyr said, managing to think clearly by pretending that only the others existed. "And Tristan and Athreos, and Malissa and Joey." Saying names was helping him not think about it. "And everything. Get legends. Get monsters. Just get someone!"

"Getting," Joey spluttered out before zooming forward. "Going!"

He repeated the two words, leaving Zephyr behind to feebly flap his wings to remain in the air, moving as quickly as possible to find someone to make it all better. Tears sprung up in his eyes but Joey didn't notice, manically repeating two words to himself.

A third couldn't help but resonate through his mind.

Death.

Death death death death-

* * *

Felix was having an odd day. Wandering from pokémon to pokémon, helping out where he could. It was times like this, in intensive training mode, he felt the most out of place as a trainer. In competition the glory and prestige went mostly to the trainer, even though the pokémon did effectively all the work. What did a trainer do? Train them. Only by harnessing their own powers, it wasn't like Felix had anything special he could specifically teach them.

He disliked thinking this way. But with Keira being gone for months at this point, it was harder not to be tough on himself. It was difficult, just trying to figure out what to do on days like these.

The answer to the question he never asked came barrelling in from the skies with speed that would make Zephyr blush. Joey was giving a high pitched keening sound as he flew blindly, smacking face to face into Felix and knocking the human down.

Felix couldn't so much as exclaim his outrage at the tackle before Joey burst into furious tears. He tried to speak words, but all that he could manage was ineligible blubbering.

The sounds of the castform's hysterics quickly attracted the attention of the others, Malissa appearing first, still hunched over, with murder glinting from the diamonds shielding her eyes, Athreos appearing soon after, picking himself up from the ground. Then Tristan rushing in from the side, a near unconscious Isolde in his arms.

"Joey!" Felix yelled, trying to get through to him, or at least calm him down. Yelling wasn't very good at calming others, however, and Joey continued to cry. Malissa shot him a filthy look and grabbed the castform, holding him steady and mumbling a stream of words to low for any of the others to hear. Whatever she was saying was enough to at least allow Joey to realise he was safe among the others.

He had made it.

Suddenly snapping to attention, Joey remembered Zephyr's words. "FELIX!" he shrieked. "TRISTAN! ATHREOS! MALISSA! JOEY! ZEPHYR! WE HAVE TO SAVE THEM!"

"S-save who?" Isolde was the only one able to verbalise words after Joey's volume.

"ALL OF THEM!" Joey cried, tearing himself out of Malissa's hold and floating back upwards. "THEY'RE DYING! WE HAVE TO GO NOW!"

Zooming forward, he didn't give anyone a chance to ask for an explanation, instead they could only follow. With speed truly of the essence, Felix returned everyone with him, barring Joey, to their pokéball's. He had the longest legs and could move the fastest, and still barely able to keep up with the normally slow Joey.

It was difficult to keep an eye on the castform when he had to move into the trees, the branches cutting off his vision of Joey. Thankfully, the castform was still making sounds, painful cries that made Felix's heart lurch, and he was able to follow.

Soon enough the time had come. Zephyr had joined them, fluttering pitifully behind Felix as Joey shivered in front of him, floating slower and slower with each passing moment. He quietly returned Zephyr and gently grabbed Joey in both hands. "Hey?" Felix tried to be as soothing as possible. "You don't have to go any further."

"Yes I do," Joey sniffled, eyes bloodshot. "That's what the good guys do. That's what Zephyr would do. What heroes would do. We have to save them." Joey's voice broke and Felix felt tears prick the corners of his eyes. Whatever happened was clearly too much for Joey.

"It's that way right?" He pointed the direction Joey was heading.

"Y-yeah."

Felix held up Joey's pokéball and returned the castform before he could dodge, shrinking the ball so Joey didn't try and force his way out. Hoping the rest would help, Felix pushed forward himself. He feared he wasn't heading in the right direction, Joey and Zephyr had been mumbling about sounds of battle and death, but there was nothing but silence.

It was eerie. There was always sound in the woods. The song of the pokémon, one he could appreciate on two levels. Felix still heard what normal humans hear when a pokémon speaks, the words simply translated in his head. It happened to automatically nowadays he scarcely ever notices the actual sounds, but the song of the woods was a constant exception.

There was nothing now. Not even the sound of the wind passing through trees, as if even the earth had fallen silent.

Exceptionally nervous about what he was going to find, Felix pressed forward. He wasn't doubting he was on the right path now, he could smell it.

Felix had been in an unfortunately large amount of near-death experiences in his three years as a Pokémon Trainer. Not as many as at least three certain, human, friends of his, but more than he was happy with. But he had gone through enough to know the smell of fear.

And blood. That too. But mostly fear.

With one hand firmly on a pokéball, and memories of BRVR flashing through his head, Felix approached the thinning of trees. Zephyr had mumbled something about a clearing, this was it.

Girding himself, Felix stepped into the scene from a nightmare.

He was stunned silent and frozen for nearly ten seconds, eyes barely able to transmit what they were seeing to his brain. Then he bent over and vomited. It was carnage. Felix would never find words to describe the scene he stepped upon. From nightmares Joey and Zephyr would tell him of later, Felix would gather that they stumbled upon the moment as it was happening, which was its own sense of true horror, but only he saw the aftermath. When everything was quiet and everything stopped moving.

Staggering back, Felix bumped into a tree. A million thoughts raced through his head but he was unable to grip onto any of them, any single idea would be too much and he simply couldn't hide from what he was seeing. A distant part of him understood why Joey had had a meltdown and why Zephyr seemed shocked into near-lifelessness, but they couldn't have seen this, this had to be worse.

Barely able to blink, Felix could nearly count the number of corpses. Nearly, as many of them were in too many pieces to count reliably, plus he really didn't want to. The heavy stench of blood saturated the place nearly as heavily as the blood actually saturated. His shoes were already slick and he was barely even on the outskirts of the carnage.

He couldn't scream, even if that was all he could hear in his ears. Nothing was moving. Everything was dead.

A twitch.

Felix's hyper-awareness in that moment alerted him to any movements. So on edge, waiting for whatever had done this to come for him next. Part of his mind screamed BRVR, but the rest of him was convinced that this was too much even for him. The demented pikachu could never had taken on this many opponents, and there was the telltale lack of the smell of ozone. No electricity.

So when something twitched, his entire attention was solely on it. The rest of the world blissfully fell away and he could only see the shock of red fur. Formally white, but there was far to much blood to realise it was originally white.

Bites, scratches, torn everything littered the creatures body, but somehow it was still alive. Something else flashed into the forefront of Felix's mind, Joey and Zephyr's voices blending together as they managed to say that something was being attacked. It was a pack. A pack of mightyena attacking an absol, except the absol was putting up one hell of a fight.

Felix's eyes widened. The absol was still alive!

Immediately all rational sense of repulsion faded away with only the life of a pokémon remaining in the balance. He carefully avoided the many sharp points the absol had, all caked in the blood of the creatures that had attacked it as a group, and tried to find words to say.

It weakly moved its head, blood and tear streaked face lifting to glare defiantly into his own. In the face of such determination, Felix could only manage one thing. "I'm going to help."

The absol glared further, but what little energy it had managed to gather left it and its head weakly thumped against the ground. Not remembering any of his pokémon, Felix gripped the absol around the middle, avoiding the deeper wounds, and pulled it forwards, dragging it out of the dog-pile of bodies that it was half-buried in.

The absol groaned, hissed, and tried to swipe at him, but there was nothing left to its fight and it could barely even wiggle in his grip. Sighing and grunting it continued to mutter things at him, things that he couldn't even understand.

Felix wouldn't have heard anything regardless, completely focused in getting the absol clear. Once he had it out of the clearing, Felix laid it on its side and pulled open his bag, smearing blood over everything.

He grabbed all the potions he had and got to work, spraying them over the worst of the wounds, apologising for the sharp gasps of pain the absol made whenever he did so and ignoring the mutterings, which were beginning to form actual words.

"Just let me die."

He ignored it.

Once every potion was exhausted and the absol was drenched in something other than blood, he pulled out his pokéNav, smeared blood over that as well, and got the location of the nearest Pokémon Centre.

Absol weren't the heaviest of all pokémon, and this was one on the scrawny side. It had some muscle, but no fat. Part of him wondered where the energy to do anything came from, but most thought was on how he was getting to the Pokémon Centre.

Summoning strength he didn't have, Felix picked the absol up, pressed it against his body, ignored the outraged sounds it made, and ran for it. He left the objects he had scattered around, weight he couldn't afford to hold, and simply sprinted with all the strength he had.

Felix wasn't sure for how long he ran, or how many times the absol tried to make him drop it, but eventually he made it.

"HelloooooOOOO! WHAT IS THIS?" the Nurse Joy at the desk shouted. "CHANSEY GET THE CRASH CART!"

The quiet centre exploded into activity as chansey came rushing in with a cart and a bed, letting Felix finally put the absol down, and rushed off into the operating theatre. Felix staggered to a chair, winced as his arms decided to reveal to him that they were in agony, and groaned in relief as the hard back of the chair accepted him like ambrosia.

The two other trainers in the lobby were staring open-mouthed at him in horror, reminding Felix he was covered in blood. He couldn't find the effort to care about that, however, falling asleep on the chair.

* * *

Felix was awoken by a chansey throttling him.

The Nurse Joy watched for a good ten seconds, allowing the healer to smack Felix to near tears before pulling it back. She then turned upon him and unleashed a torrent of words so severe it did reduce him to tears.

Once the onslaught was over, Nurse Joy demanded his trainer license to tear to pieces and revoke it world wide. This was enough to bring Felix back to the present.

"This isn't my absol," he yelled, freezing all the healers. "My pokémon stumbled upon it in the woods, led me to a scene of bloody carnage and I dragged it out of a mound of bodies, used all my potions, then carried it all the way here. I had nothing to do with its injuries, or what happened to all those mightyena."

Just saying the word 'mightyena' nearly made him throw up again.

Nurse Joy eyed him with immense suspicion and distrust and demanded his pokédex for proof. When Felix realised he had left everything but his pokémon back at the bloodbath, he sheepishly gave Nurse Joy his details to be searched up on every trainer database known to man.

When she failed to find any record of him owning an absol, along with the fact he had six pokémon with him, along with a testament to his character from Professor Rowan, who Felix had called in tears to break down to, Joy decided to believe him.

She apologised and closed the centre, departing to where Felix had come from to see if she could help any of the mightyena Felix had mentioned, taking all but one chansey with her.

Nurse Joy returned with haunted eyes, but also his belongings, and Felix cleaned the blood off himself and his belongings and went to sleep again.

The next day, Joy wanted to speak to him.

"This absol appears to have no trainer," she said as the two stared through the glass to where the absol was lying, wrapped in bandages and hooked to dozens of wires. "She was on the brink of death when you brought her in, crashing three times when the chansey and I were working on her. Each time we revived her. She's a fighter. Not just in battle, assuming she really did fight th-those mightyena." Both Felix and Joy closed their eyes, trying to ward off the images. "But in spirit. Already she seems on the mend and I am confident she will make a full recovery. There will be scarring though, likely mental scarring as well."

"I hope the absol gets the help she needs," Felix said, voice lacking much emotion. "Know any good psychiatrists?"

Nurse Joy smiled slightly. "No. But if you do find one... you have a kirlia do you not?"

"Yeah."

"That family is good for mental well-being. Keep her outside the ball for a while."

"Will do. Would anyway."

"Good... well, that is what I wanted to say."

Felix glanced to Nurse Joy, he could see that that was a lie and Joy wanted to ask him to stick around and take the absol. He, however, did not. He understood the absol was defending itself from overwhelming odds with everything it had, still was difficult to get past it killing those mightyena.

He knew it was possibly it did not, or didn't kill them all, some sort of equal sided fight with one side that happened to include an absol, that made much more sense. He'd much prefer to leave that whole nightmare in the past however.

Bidding goodbye to Nurse Joy, Felix aimed himself back towards Mossdeep City. All of his pokémon outside and around him, including Joey and Zephyr. He looked to the sky and hoped that the world would give him this one small mercy.

He'd been a trainer long enough to know how this went.

"Stop."

Felix did stop, deliver a heavy sigh, and turned around. The rest of his pokémon bunching close to their fragile trainer.

Still covered in the wires she had been hooked up to, and sliced through, the absol stood before him, Nurse Joy and two chansey rushing up to quell the patient who really needed to remain in care.

Felix met the eyes of the absol as it spoke. "You saved me life," she said. Joy had taken to referring to the absol with feminine pronouns, it was the first Felix had really heard its voice and he could hear it.

"And you now feel obligated to me?" he replied tiredly. "Look, thank you but there really is no need. You'll be happier without me."

The absol glared at him, before a smirk lit her bloody lips. "I think you'd be happier without me. But you saved my life. You forced me to live. So I'm afraid that I am now your responsibility. My life is yours." She bowed mockingly. "Master. Whether you like it or not."

Exchanging a stunned, and wary, glance with his pokémon, Felix swallowed nervously. He wasn't sure how to take that. That wasn't how this kind of thing normally went.

And by the grin of the absol, even as she began to fall over, Felix had a very bad feeling he had unleashed something terrible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Felix. You have no idea.
> 
> So if this was a chapter in a normal story, this chapter would be much longer. Especially since this is located in the time frame where Felix's pokémon are having their adventures. Ah... what I dreamed of reaching when I was trying to write the story for all these years. Still, since this is meant to be focused more on the capture than anything, I shortened it a bit.
> 
> Also? How edgy do you find this chapter :P Lilith was probably the 'edgiest' character I made for pokémon. And while I have smoothed some of those edges, many are still intact. Why not? I find her fun to write ^^
> 
> But yes. The Hoenn pokémon have all been revealed! I now have two special chapters planned. One to be set back in Kanto (I've teased a bit about BRVR here and there. Now we'll get a first-hand experience with him :D) another is set with the Hoenn Team past this chapter.
> 
> Hope you enjoy ^^


	15. Lavender Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was supposed to be out ages ago. Things usually are. Hope you enjoy.

"Stay, won't you?"

"You shouldn't have come here."

"You smell… fascinating."

"RUN!"

"I think we need to take a break."

"Shira?! Shira?! SHIRA?!"

"PEOPLE DON'T SURVIVE A MONSTER LIKE THAT."

"It's so cold here."

"Lavender Town. Sounds like a nice place."

"Do not be afraid. Not of me at least."

"Rule Four: Anger is better than misery."

"He will kill you."

"HE GOT AWAY."

"A ghost told us."

"Would you love me?"

"We have to keep going."

"She tasted better than I imagined."

"There's no one around."

"He would have escaped. As he always does."

"Oh well. If you won't give me your heart. Then I'll just take it."

* * *

_Location – Kanto Region Three Badges_

_Age 11_

_Lavender Town_

* * *

Felix breathed in deeply.

"Smell that?" he asked, glancing down at the monsters by his side. "That's the smell of peace and security."

Keira and Shira both gave him a dour stare while Diego did breathe in deeply. "Mmm," the growlithe hummed. "Smells like-" he didn't finish the sentence, instead giving a sudden and violent sneeze.

Shira stepped farther away from the growlithe, meowth not intending to be anywhere near flaming mucus.

"Gross," Keira said, frowning at where the sneeze had now set on fire.

"It's cool!" Diego barked back, he sniffled again and sneezed twice more.

"Are you sick?" Felix asked, kneeling down to the growlithe's level in concern. "You weren't trying to swim, again were you?"

"N… No," Diego said, looking everywhere but Felix.

"Yes," Shira answered receiving an angry yip from Diego. "Keira had to fish him out. Three times."

"Diego." Felix shook his head. "You're too fluffy to swim."

"I'll get there!" Diego retorted. "Keira is definitely going to show me how to swim like an amazing person. Please, please, please let her!"

Felix glanced to Keira and the riolu shrugged. Felix couldn't help but believe Keira just wanted a swimming buddy but couldn't fault her for that. "Alright. But we have to relax while we're here," he added as Diego began running a fiery ring around him. "Else why would it be a holiday?"

"I don't know what a holiday is!" Diego barked, extraordinarily pleased with himself for mysterious reasons. He sneezed again but only set Felix's shoe on fire rather than his whole body.

Again.

Shira sighed at the madness and turned her regal gaze upon the lowly town she was being forced to enter.

"Quaint," Shira said as they began to walk downwards. Moving through that cave had been unpleasant for the city-born meowth, at least civilisation was something she knew. "Rustic perhaps."

"While you mumble about various not-technically-but-insulting-in-spirit words," Keira said, startling the meowth who hadn't expected to be heard. "I'm going ahead. Bet I can outrun all three of you!"

Keira began to run but Felix grabbed her right as she skidded through his legs. "Watch it," he reprimanded, nearly being thrown off balance. "And don't leave us all behind."

"Well duh, you're supposed to race me!"

"I wanna race!" Diego chimed in. He was ignored so he sneezed again.

After Felix put out his shoes again, he returned to speaking to Keira. "This is just a holiday. We're meant to relax here. No training or stressful stuff."

Keira pouted at him, but Felix wouldn't budge.

"You're impossible sometimes," Keira snapped, and Felix smiled.

"You too," he said, patting her in the way she knew he knew irritated her.

"Hey guys?" Diego called. "I saw one of those human signs!"

"That's nice Diego," Felix responded, completely automatically.

"It had some funny tape on it. The kind I liked to play with back with the other growlithe. But they and the many lady told me off for doing it. Said it was important and not to be played with."

"That's nice," Keira responded, equally as automatically.

"I thought I saw a pikachu too! Behind the sign. Pikachu are fun right? Should human-Felix catch it?"

"Maybe," Shira mumbled.

"And there were all these extra squiggles on the sign too! Humans can talk without talking with those can't they?"

"Yep," Felix responded, still not paying full attention. "It's called writing."

"What did it say?" Diego asked, receiving a triple-set of noncommittal grunts in response. "Come ooonn. Pay attention to me!"

He ran ahead, nearly tripping Felix again, and received all eyes on him. "Yay!"

"What do you need?" Felix asked, cutting over Shira who went to say something undoubtedly cruel and soul crushing.

"I want…" Diego blinked, he had already moved on from the weird sign with all the policewoman's tape and scary red letters. Knowing he had to act quickly lest he appear the fool, Diego quickly said. "Frittatas!"

"The who now?" Felix asked.

"Mango?"

Felix exchanged a concerned glance with Keira before turning back to Diego. "Are you alright?" This was chaotic thoughts even for the rambunctious growlithe.

"I'm kind of tired." Diego yawned, then sneezed. This time Felix was ready and dodged it.

"Do you want to go in the pokéball for a bit?" he asked, holding up the growlithe's pokéball.

"Yeah, okay." Diego lowered his head slightly as Felix returned him, the pokémon disappearing into a stream of red data.

"Peace and quiet at last!" Shira cried, doing a cartwheel in celebration. "Now to never do THAT again." She licked a paw and shined her charm for a moment. "What was he ranting on about earlier?"

"Something about a sign?" Keira shrugged.

"Would have probably been the sign saying this is Lavender Town," Felix supplied. "He tends to get excited over words and signs when we reach a new place. Lavender Town," Felix said again, tasting the words. "Tastes like a nice place."

"Strange. But true," Keira agreed. "He seemed a little off though. And how many times did he nearly set you on fire on the last five minutes?"

"It's not like I kept count!" Felix replied and did some excessive limb flailing. "How many times has he set you on fire since he joined?"

"Twenty-seven times," Keira answered immediately. Felix narrowed his eyes at the riolu.

"You made that up."

"I keep count," Keira retorted. "Someone has to."

"Well excuuuuse me for not being good at maths."

"And English. And science. And sports."

"Hey." Felix opened and closed his mouth several times as he tried to find the words. "Hey. I was… passing the work. I just needed help with maths! YOU can't judge ME!"

Keira giggled, and Felix snorted right afterwards. Shira had been watching them silently, with immense concern as they seemed to be arguing rather fiercely.

"Is this that kind of thing where you argue a lot but really love each other?" Shira asked, genuinely curious. "Or have I joined the most dysfunctional team ever?"

"Love," Felix replied.

"Dysfunctional," Keira also replied.

They turned on each other immediately.

"What do you MEAN? LOVE! Eww."

"What do you mean EWW?"

"I mean EWW!"

"DYFUNCTIONAL IT IS."

They broke into laughter again, causing Shira to decide she had indeed sold herself to the madness. She hoped it wouldn't infect her, or if she had to get out now.

"He's alright," Keira joked, nudging Felix's shin. "Gotta have a human to buy me all those wonderful things."

"Gotta have a pokémon to win the money to pamper you with those things." Felix grinned back.

"Gotta win battles to get the money," Keira continued. "Can't be taken all these breaks."

"Where else would you get pampered?" Felix asked, jaw getting tighter. "I think we need to take a break every once in a while."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Keira dismissed the conversation with a wave of her paw. "Fine. Let's do this 'relax' thingamabob."

"Why Lavender Town though?" Shira asked once it seemed safe enough to. "Why not the city? There are plenty of relaxing places in the city."

"Because Lavender Town sounds so much better," Felix answered earnestly.

Keira rolled her eyes. "While he sifts through jittery excitement, I'll tell you really why we came here."

"I can say it!" Felix quickly said. "You'd make me sound crazy or obsessed."

"Well I was going for creepy." Keira grinned. "But sure, that works too."

Rolling his eyes back at her, Felix turned to the patiently waiting meowth. "I heard that Agatha of the Elite Four is here!" Before Shira could so much as hear him, Felix seemed to explode with excitement. "AGATHA! HERE! Oh my gosh, what if I get to meet her? What if she likes me? What if she teaches me things? WHAT IF SHE SIGNS ME PHOTO OF HER?!"

Rubbing her ears, Keira turned to Shira to give actual explanation. "Felix is one of those kids who is into creepy things."

"Agatha is not a thing," Felix snapped.

"I wasn't referring to her," Keira drawled before smirking back at Shira. "Our kid is into Ghost types and he looked on to puter boxes all the time about strong trainers who use Ghost types."

"There's lots of cool ones," Felix chirped, delighted at the turn of discussion. "No one's as cool as Agatha though. Did you know Cynthia has a spiritomb? Those things are terrifying, and she has one! How cool is that?"

"I…" Shira trailed off as she tried to figure out what to say first. "Don't know who any of those people are. Humans OR pokémon. What's a spiritomb?"

"Sarcastic jerks," Felix said, absolutely delightedly.

"Or craven mass-murderers sealed into rocks together," Keira added. "Either or."

"Alright." Shira put that aside for now. "What's this about an Agatha? Here?"

"Yep." Felix nodded. "I overheard some people in a Pokémon Centre talking about how Agatha was spotted around Lavender Town. Since this place has Kanto's Pokémon Tower, I'm not surprised she likes being here."

"Pokémon Tower?" Keira asked, for once not in the know. "You mean like the graveyard outside of home?"

"Yep. The Lost Tower, not really lost I don't know why it's called that." He frowned in concentration before putting it aside. "The Pokémon Tower is Kanto's version."

"THAT explains the rest of it," Keira sighed, shaking her head at the oblivious trainer. "Let me guess."

"I want to go there!" Felix said.

"There it is. Whatever, fine."

"Come on Keira," Felix cajoled, giving the riolu a small pat on the head. "You know it's a big thing in Solaceon Town. Sinnoh in general I think."

"Whole region is filled with people sitting in graveyards?" Keira drawled.

"Respecting the dead," Felix corrected. "Just because Miss Norrie didn't make you do it, doesn't mean that she didn't make ME do it."

"Sure, sure." Keira relented. "We'll go to your second favourite graveyard. It's that big, uh, 'tower' right." She pointed a paw to the easily visible tower jutting out of Lavender Town.

"I imagine so," Felix and Shira said at the same time.

"Alright, let's go."

With that the three of them fell silent, aiming to just get into the town and resolve conversations later. With Diego no longer in the physical world, no one had sharp enough ears to hear a small titter of amusement.

It didn't take long for them to enter the town proper. Even less time to notice something off about it. "Does this place seem a bit… empty to you?" Felix asked, looking around.

Shira and Keira had gradually fallen into step with him, pressing closer and closer until they were almost riding a leg each.

"Yeeeaaahhh." Keira drew the word out as long as she could. "This what you meant about relaxing? No one around to bother us I guess."

"I've never seen a place so devoid of humans," Shira admitted, shivering slightly.

"What about that cave?" Keira asked, not dropping her eyes from forwards. "Other than Felix there wasn't any humans in there."

"Human areas then," Shira snapped. "Cities and… what was this place called again?"

"You forgot already? Lavender Town."

"Towns! That's it. A place like this, a town, with no humans. This is weird."

"I'd personally go with creepy," Felix said, giving a weak grin.

"Your face is creepy," Keira mumbled. "I'm just waiting for the other foot to drop."

The trio came to a stop. Standing in the middle of a paved street, closed shops, empty sidewalks, there weren't even any pokémon around to break the silence.

A small wind blew, knocking some trash someone dropped on the ground. It bundled up into a tumbleweed-like ball and bounced a few times before breaking back into wrappers and plastic.

"There's no one around," Felix said, just making his voice heard over all the nothing. "I think we should find the Pokémon Centre and ask what's going on. Maybe they'll know where Agatha is as well."

"It's obvious what's going on," Keira nearly snarled.

"What?" Felix asked.

"How would you know?" Shira added.

Crossing her arms with a smirk, Keira confidently spoke her suspicions. "This town has gone full on silent hill and we are all going to die."

Shira and Felix, meowth and human, stared at the little riolu in complete silence. Their eyes flicked to each other, before both glanced around. Still nothing.

"Don't joke like that Keira," Felix said, reproach entering his voice. "You know I don't like it."

"You're the one with the Ghost type obsession," Keira replied, still as confident as can be. "I'm surprised you hadn't caught on yet. Suppose yet again the pokémon is smarter than the trainer.

"I agree with the human," Shira said, rubbing an arm. "Don't joke like that when we are tense enough."

Keira dropped the arms and set her face into a grim frown. "I'm not kidding," she said seriously. "Maybe I've watched to many horror things on the puter boxes at Felix's school, and maybe I'm going a bit far in saying it's the same as that. But something is off here, you seriously can't smell it?"

Shira cringed back, and Felix took a deep breath in through the nose. "I smell nothing. But lavender, funnily enough."

"YOU wouldn't smell it," Keira said. "I can though. And I bet you can smell it too," she said, looking straight at Shira.

The meowth's expression was twisting between incredulous and troubled. "I-" she began to say before they were interrupted."

"You're gonna die! You're gonna die!" A voice suddenly squawked from above. The trio immediately reacted, Keira jumping towards Felix, Shira jumping back with claws extended, and Felix staring straight up.

It was a murkrow.

"You're gonna die," it repeated, circling them. The trio relaxed a smidgeon as it seemed content to just squawk horrible things rather than try and make those things become true.

"EXCUSE ME!" Shira hissed, glaring up with the fury of a thousand suns. "Continue saying that and I'll tear every last feather off your ugly, decrepit, body!"

The murkrow laughed before swooping down. Keira tackled Felix to the ground and fired a Reversal sphere off at it, but the murkrow avoided it and instead glided forward, coming to a perch on a sign past them.

Still well above them, but able to look right at them, the murkrow jeered at them again. "You're all going to die soon."

"Who says?" Keira snarled, readying all her Power in case of a fight.

"Not me," the murkrow answered. "Never me. I'm not going to die either. I'm safe, in the sky! Haha."

"I bet I could scale that wall before it could take off," Shira muttered to Keira, she put it under consideration.

"Why are you saying that?" Felix asked, he did his best to sound confident but at eleven years old he didn't particularly enjoy being told he was going to die.

"Because it's true! Because it's true!" The murkrow cackled. "He's going to get you. He will kill you. Bring you to the buried one. Then you'll die! Then you'll die!"

"Who is he?" Keira demanded and murkrow ruffled its feathers at her.

"He is he! He is he! I will not speak of its name more than that. He comes, quick as lightning, deadlier than ice. He will find you. He has already found you. Soon he comes. Then you'll die! Then you'll die!"

"STOP SAYING THAT!" Felix shouted but the murkrow only laughed at him. "Get it!" he growled to his pokémon and Keira gave Shira the go-ahead.

Quick as a blink, the meowth had crossed the street and was already halfway up the sign before the murkrow noticed it. "Eh! Get away! Get away!" It flapped its wings and took flight, but a well-aimed Reversal knocked its course off and Shira leaped from her spot, snatching the murkrow out of the air and bringing it to the earth.

"Off, OFF!" the murkrow shrieked, flapping desperately in an effort to shake Shira. She bit down in response and the murkrow froze.

"Spill what you know," Keira demanded, pressing her palm against its beak.

"N-no, please. Please. He's coming, he's coming!"

"Where?" Felix asked.

"THERE!"

All three turned their heads sharply where the murkrow's wing pointed, dropping their focus on it for a brief moment. It used this moment to peck Shira's side, drawing blood and causing her to flinch.

Flapping erratically as Shira and then Keira tried to ground it, the murkrow used a wave of darkness to blast everyone off their feet and sailed into the air. "Now you die," it croaked, flapping feebly with a damaged wing. "And I shall fly!"

Keira threw a Reversal sphere, but it missed by a mile and the murkrow evaded, flying over a building and escaping.

"Well," Keira said after a tense moment of silence. "That was a charming fellow and/or madam."

"And/or?" Felix asked.

"You never know."

Before anymore words could be shared, a tremendous thunderclap robbed them of their hearing as a lightning strike blasted down from the blue sky.

"Th-that was where," Felix began.

"The murkrow went," Keira finished.

"We have BIGGER issues," Shira snapped, removing the blissful moment of cohesion the pair were enjoying. "What in the nine layers of hell was it talking about?"

"You're looking at me?" Keira asked, realising that Shira was staring right at her.

"You seem to know what's going on," Shira replied, pointing a claw at Keira. "You said something was up, then that thing appears and says we're going to die. This place is completely abandoned, and the smell of blood is EVERYHWERE! NOW IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE, NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT!"

"Uh, first of all." Keira raised a paw and pointed a stubby digit. "Lower the volume please. You'll wake the dead with that volume and I'm worried that's not a joke." Shira covered her mouth with her paws. "Second, if I had any idea what was going on, don't you think I would have said it?"

"Well… I don't know you well," Shira admitted. "What if you did know something and were holding it to yourself for some advantage?"

"Oh honey." Keira shook her head. "You have some major trust issues. Let me make this clear. I. Don't. Know. What's. Going. On. Alright?"

"F-fine."

"Okay." Keira pressed her paw to her forehead, willing the sudden headache away.

"Did anyone see anything where the murkrow pointed?" Felix asked, stepped in between the pokémon.

"I saw it PECK ME!" Shira growled, the beak had dug deep enough to draw blood. Not much, but it still hurt.

"No." Keira gave her own answer with a shrug. "It was a distraction."

"I thought I saw something," Felix insisted, garnering their attention.

"What?" Keira was the first to ask when it was clear Felix was hesitating.

"Something… yellow?" he answered, squinting as he tried to make sense. "It was only there for a moment, right as we turned. Then the murkrow attacked and everything went bad." Felix frowned and looked over to where he thought he saw it. There was nothing. "I probably imagined it out of panic or the sun or something."

"Yellow huh?" Keira asked, stepping forward cautiously. "If horror thingies have taught me anything, it's never nothing. It's always, 'something'."

"Should we be… going over there then?" Shira asked, stepping forward as Keira wasn't stopping.

"Let's not split up," Keira said. "That's the worst possible thing. Don't go running around blindly either, you'll always trip."

"Anything else?" Felix asked, making sure he was as close to his pokémon as possible.

"Uh… don't mate with anything whatsoever," Keira said, causing Shira to bluster and Felix to be confused. "If you do, you're going to die."

"With what?" Shira snarled when her composure was regathered.

"The enemy to start with."

"What enemy? What can you see?"

"Nothin," Keira answered, causing Shira to give a frustrated huff. "Don't let your guard down. Stay away from cellars, attics. Anything to creepy like abandoned places and graveyards."

"This whole place is abandoned though," Felix said, glancing around at all the people that weren't around.

"Exactly." Keira bopped her own nose. "One girl always survives," Keira continued. "The main girl, me by the way. But with my foreknowledge we should be able to survive."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Shira grumbled, displeased at the everything going on.

"Good point," Keira admitted. "The character who thinks they've got everything figured out and can easily survive, always dies. Karmic irony or something."

They reached the corner that the murkrow had pointed out in a blind panic. There was nothing there, just the corner of a building with a small alleyway bridging two shops.

"Let me guess," Shira added, sounding more like herself in her deadpan delivery. "Don't go in there?"

"Definitely not," Keira agreed. "Until we're being chased. The person at either the back or the front dies when we run in there."

"Let's not then," Felix said, edging away. "Keira, this is too much. Let's just leave, I don't want to be here, Shira doesn't want to be here. We'll relax somewhere not terrifying."

Keira gave a light, happy, laugh. "Hahaha. Oh, poor sweet Felix," she chuckled, shaking her head. "We can't leave. Anyone who tries to leave dies. They are often the first or second to die. Whether or not the horror has already started."

"Keira you're not funny and you've watched too many movies," Felix shot back, genuine anger building. "We've leaving right now."

"I don't know what insults me more," Keira scoffed. "The idea I'm not funny or the idea I've watched too many movies. Both are equally rude. Rude characters always die by the way."

"KEIRA STOP!" Felix shouted, causing the riolu's ears to fall flat when she realised she had pushed too far. Angry and scared tears pricked the sides of Felix's eyes as he shouted. "You're just trying to scare me now. Why are you doing this? Because I don't want to lose against Sabrina for the fourth damn time? Is this because you can't beat that bloody kadabra? I just want to sit down and relax and forget about training and gym battles and pokémon league for one day! SO, SHUT UP AND STOP DOING THIS TO ME!"

Breathing deeply, Felix closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable clash-back from Keira that'd only make him want to give up even more.

"...Sorry."

Only to open his eyes in surprise. "What?"

Wearing an expression of extreme guilt, Keira's ears and tail were drooping as she said. "I'm just trying to make light of the situation. Felix I'm… I'm scared," she admitted, stunning Felix. "This place it… there's something… I don't even know how to describe it."

She hit one of the black bangles that protruded from her head, letting it flop back and forth. "These stupid things don't work enough for me to control my aura most of the time. But they work just enough that I can tell something is wrong. There is something wrong here and I don't know what it is, or where it is, or what it can do. But from these, the smell of blood over this place and what that murkrow said, well…" she trailed off, casting her gaze off Felix for a moment.

Returning to him she said. "This place is abandoned. There's either no one here or they are hiding. And I'm torn between my own natural desire, no need, to help. To find out what's doing this and stop it. And running away and trying to protect you. I don't want to leave this place to whatever's here, I just can't make sense of why I should leave. I just can't. Leaving protects you, and that's what I want to do, but my own stupid NEED tells me I can't leave this place to what's around here."

"Keira I'm…" Felix trailed off, not sure how to respond to that. The blooming feeling of utter terror was there, but it was taking a temporary backseat to empathy.

"I'm just talking about movies to keep myself calm," Keira said. "But it's just making it worse for everyone else. You and… where's Shira?"

Felix blinked and started in shock. "Shira?" he asked, still blinking. Shira had been right beside Shira not a minute ago, the meowth keeping a sharp vigilance as feelings were shared at this inopportune time.

Both Felix and Keira stepped forward, past each other, shouting for the meowth.

"SHIRA?" Felix yelled into the alleyway.

"SHIRA?" Keira yelled into the streets.

"Where the hell did she go?" Felix swore, turning back to Keira.

"Get Diego out right now," Keira demanded, Felix immediately doing as asked. The growlithe barked as he was returned to the physical realm, but Keira shut him up immediately.

"Do you remember Shira's scent?" she asked, paw clamping Diego's mouth shut. He tried to speak but she wasn't letting go so he nodded.

"Good." Keira released him. "Find her. Right now."

"I… I can't," Diego whimpered at the thunderous expression Keira wore. "I have a cold!" he quickly said. "I can barely smell anything. You're nose has to be better than mine at the moment."

Keira's expression cracked, and she fell back muttering. "Oh no, no, no."

"Where did Shira go anyway?" Diego asked, glancing between the panicking riolu and on-the-verge-of-a-panic-attack human.

"We don't know!" Felix snapped, causing Diego to flinch. He would have apologised, but at the current moment could barely spare a thought to it happening in the first place.

"SHIRA!" Felix yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. "SHIRA! WHERE ARE YOU?"

* * *

Shira ran in a blind fear.

The place.

The smell.

The memories.

It all heralded a deep nested fear. She cursed and screamed, some on the inside, as she ran on all fours. Part of her regretted leaving the human and his starter behind, but it was the only way. A bigger target, a better distraction, it wouldn't be the first time.

"Oh, hello."

Shira's claws came out, tearing into the pavement as she forced herself to a stop. That voice, the narrator of her worst nightmares, the soft voice that spoke of horrible things in the back of her memories.

A pikachu sat before her. Bright-eyed  _dead eyes_ , yellow tail  _jagged and cruel_ , orange cheeked  _scarred and burnt_ , and bloodstained fur  _once so clean and soft._

"What's your name?" the pikachu asked, one paw outstretched in a friendly greeting, the other one pulled behind its back as if it had a present yet to reveal.

Shira sneered, she knew what it was hiding.

Not even very well, its teeth were bloody, and its face was scarred.

"I'm BRVR," the pikachu continued, as if he failed to notice Shira's raising fur and claws all extended and ready to rip and tear.

"You," Shira growled out, packing one word filled with pure unadulterated hatred and fear.

BRVR cocked his head at her, red eyes flicking over her form as if he was actually seeing her this time. "Hmm? Oh! Don't worry about all this." He gestured to the blood splattering him. "Just lots and lots of ketchup. Yummy… yummy ketchup."

BRVR smiled, a gentle thing that conveyed only a bashful sense of concern. Shira didn't move, frozen stiff in a prowling position, ready to strike or flee at the briefest moment's notice.

"Oh," BRVR said, eyes going dull and downcast. "You don't believe me. No one believes me. No one. No one. No one. I have no one." He began to whimper and cry, falling down onto his tail and tearing at his head in despair.

Tears dripped down his face, running salty tracks through the dried blood on his face before fresh blood from his own scalp began to trail over it. "No one. No one. No one," he repeated, breathing rapidly. "Please." The tone of his voice changed, from lonely, terrified, pleading, to lower, softer, gentler. "Won't you be one?"

Shira remained frozen. She begged herself to move, to run, to attack, to do anything but wait. Her body betrayed her, and the meowth did nothing but stare stiffly at the pikachu.

"No?" BRVR asked, voice gentle and dangerous. "Oh, okay then." He shrugged and pulled the arm out from behind him, revealing a delightful large butchers knife. Why he had it, Shira really didn't want to know. "I guess I'll have to take you along, anyway." BRVR's voice changed again, a much deeper, coarser sound erupting from his throat as his head snapped up to stare at her, a grin widening his face and revealing more of his bloody teeth.

"Stay with me!" BRVR called as he burst forward, speed likely due to a Quick Attack. "FOREVER."

The knife flashed and Shira, finally, moved.

She moved too late.

Shira screamed in pain as the large knife carved through her side, splattering the ground with her blood. Despite the pain, it was a relatively shallow cut. She had moved in time to avoid any severe abrasions from the knife.

The fight or flight instinct kicked in fully and Shira ran, with all the might her body could give, to escape the demented pikachu.

She slashed out with her own claws, connecting twice with the knife but then once with something fleshier.

BRVR screeched in pain as Shira gave back as good as she got, stunning him with pain for a moment and giving her the head start to run as fast as she could. She stumbled over the corpse of a murkrow but didn't slow for a moment.

Shira had no destination in mind. No target she strove for beyond putting as much space between her and the monster in the shape of a pikachu as possible.

She ran quick and fast, not thinking, not caring, not noticing her legs being drawn to the left. Not noticing her path being chosen for her. Not noticing, she headed right for the Pokémon Tower.

BRVR tried to pursue but was blinded by the pain in his side and leg, where Shira's claws had sliced. He growled and tossed his knife away before curling up and trying to breathe and forget the pain.

* * *

"Shira?! Shira?! SHIRA?!"

Felix, Diego and Keira all repeated the name of their lost companion, walking the empty streets of Lavender Town in the hopes of attracting a relatively friendly meowth, rather than something more… homicidal.

"Where are we going?" Diego asked as he struggled to keep pace with the running pair of Felix and Keira.

"Towards the boom!" Keira replied.

"What boom?" Diego had been blissfully unaware of the outside world during his time in the pokéball.

"Just follow."

They raced around a corner and stepped onto a new street. Just as abandoned as the previous on a first glance. Small items littered the ground, one store had a smashed window, and there was something lying in the middle of the road.

The pokémon gasped as Felix stepped forward. "Is that…?" he asked, peering closer before rushing forward. "It is! Hey, hey pikachu, are you alright?"

Keira quickly caught up to Felix, stepping into line with him as Diego took up the role of rear guard. Felix reached the trembling ball on the ground and knelt by it.

"Hey, hey, hey," he soothed, pressing a gentle hand on the pikachu's back. It froze upon his touch. "Listen, we're here to help, can we do anything for you?"

His mind was already turning to the potions he had in his bag. The pikachu had multiple cuts on its back, covered with dried blood. Nothing seemed oozing until it began to uncurl.

"Hurts," it coughed, revealing a bloody gash in its side. "It hurts so much."

"I'm here, we're here," Felix said, trying to say anything that'd help. "I've got you. Whatever did this isn't going to get another chance. Do you understand?"

Felix couldn't hold back the gasp, although he did hold back the feeling of retching, when he got a look at the pikachu from the front. Numerous gashes, cuts, torn out fur and even various burn marks littered it. It looked like it had been launched into a mosh pit of murderous pokémon, each seeking their lump of flesh.

"Holy shit," Keira said. Felix could barely hear her, stunned into silence at the state of the pikachu.

The pikachu took a deep breath then spoke. "You smell… fascinating," it said, a blank smile twitching at its bloody lips. The pikachu moved forward, butting its head gently into Felix's lap. "You're… so warm. You're… so nice. Please don't leave me."

The last word woke Felix from his stupor and he placed a shaking hand on the pikachu's back. At least there was no fresh blood there, although his pants and shirt were beginning to grow sticky.

"I'm," Felix said, mouth drier than it had ever felt. He could barely speak. "Going to get you some help. Keira, get the potions."

Keira obeyed, quickly opening up the bag Felix wore on his back and ruffling through it. At the mention of Keira, the pikachu twitched.

"Oh, hello," he said, with his faculties returning Felix gathered this was a male pikachu. "I'm sorry for not introducing myself." He pulled back enough from Felix to smile at Keira, freezing her in her tracks. "I'm BRVR."

"Hi," Keira managed. Diego began to growl.

"You're so nice. Don't leave me," BRVR said, burying his face into Felix's lap again. "Please don't leave me. I love you. Would you love me?"

"I-I, what?" Felix said.

"Don't be like all the others," BRVR continued, muffled by Felix's belly. "The others are all mean, cruel, they don't love me, they won't love me. I had to do it. They didn't love me. You love me."

His voice began to shake as he spoke, perhaps unrealising Felix could understand him. "Please, please, please."

"I smell Shira," Diego suddenly barked, catching everyone's attention.

"What?" Keira gasped, she had forgotten about potions already.

"I smell her, her, her, her," Diego's voice rose an octave each time he said her. In this close quarters, he was able to smell through the mostly-blocked nose as his trained eyes spotted a few drops of blood that continued in a broken line. "Blood."

Everyone froze as their eyes fell on the blood, Felix had no words until BRVR made a sound. It was muffled, but he thought it was disturbingly close to a chuckle.

"I had to. She didn't love me. You love me, right?"

"What?" Felix gasped, grabbing the pikachu and pulling him out of his lap. "Did you do to SHIRA?"

Keira spotted the sparking cheeks and screamed. "FELIX!" As she leaped forward, tackling BRVR off Felix before the pikachu unleashed a devastating jolt of electricity.

Keira howled in pain as the voltage blasted her off BRVR, but the tackle had managed to knock him off Felix in the process. Keira slammed into Felix's chest and knocked them both down as Diego ran forward, spitting flames.

"Do not be afraid," BRVR said, dodging Diego's attacks. "Not of me at least."

"What did," Felix yelled.

"You do?" Shira's voice blended with Felix's.

"To Shira?" Diego's voice joined theirs in a symphony of anger.

"She tasted better than I imagined." The demented pikachu giggled, reaching where he had tossed his knife. Cocking his head and smiling widely, revealing each bloody tooth. "I wonder how you'll-"

Keira and Diego had enough and struck BRVR with a combined Reversal and Ember, knocking him back hissing. Shaking his head, BRVR yipped as more fire struck his tail and he ran off, disappearing over a building and out of sight.

"W-what did he do to?"

"Shut up," Keira snapped. "Nothing. Lies."

"But Diego," Felix turned to the growlithe before noticing he wasn't growling in a furious position that he was five seconds ago. "D-"

"This way!" Diego yelled, causing the pair to round on him. "The blood goes this way, I'm going to force myself to smell until we find her."

Not pausing any longer than it took to get their attention, Diego rushed forward, stopping only to breathe in deeply, remove the mucus, and keep going.

Felix and Keira kept pace with him this time around, Keira at ready to attack at a moment's notice. More than once she sent a Reversal at just a suspicious item. Felix kept a paranoid watch out as well, deciding to not mention the dead murkrow that was almost certainly the same one from earlier.

Electricity danced through his mind as they went; Diego, determined to find Shira. Keira, furious beyond measure a pokémon tried to harm her human. Felix, already on his way to developing an additional source of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Diego's nose led them to no other place than the Pokémon Tower.

"Of course," Keira grumbled. "Always a graveyard."

"If she's in there," Felix said. "We're going in too."

"Keep an eye out for that pikachu," Diego warned, unnecessarily in all honesty. No one was blinking for very long.

* * *

Where Lavender Town was vacant and had the feeling of being stripped bare, the Pokémon Tower was far worse. It was a new kind of silence. The town felt like it was in the midst of a yawn, stopping all other functions but only for a moment. The tower was silent in a way that there was not even an echo of life. With each step Felix took, it caused a small sound that served only to make the silence more apparent.

Nothing was holding its breath in the tower.

The air was thick and musty, the smell of copper permeated everything. The many gravestones were plain and unfurnished, the few flowers that had been placed had wilted and been scattered by some unknown force.

Within the silence there existed a sadness. A calmness that all graveyards held, the steady peace of eternal rest. But it was faint, almost like it had never been there. What existed now was fear and it caused the three living occupants to shiver. The dead should never be afraid of anything.

Felix knew that ghost pokémon often lived in graveyards, finding their own peace and relaxation in the most solemn of places.

But there were no ghost pokémon. There was nothing but the sounds of stepping and the smell of blood.

"Pika-ha," a voice sung out tauntingly and all three venturers spun to where the voice had come from, it echoed however and all three ended up facing different directions.

"Whose there?" Felix shouted, his own voice echoing but constantly betraying his fear with each faint repeat of his words.

There was no reply except the faintly echoing sound of laughter.

"SHIRA!?" Felix cried, and Keira and Diego joined in, making as much noise as possible if just to beat back the silence.

"SHIRA!?"

"SHIRA!?"

Their voices faded quickly, and nothing moved. Felix swallowed. "I kind of hoped that'd get something to come out," his voice wavered, and he swallowed again.

Diego whimpered and was on the verge of tears. Keira was holding herself slightly steadier.

"Look," she gave her best at sounding confident and secure. "Shira isn't on this floor."

She jerked her head at the staircase and Felix nodded. They moved on and ascended to the next floor.

It was worse.

The first floor held one thing the second didn't. Security. The doorway to freedom was right behind them and it was the closest to the natural earth.

The second floor looked no different to the first, but it felt different. There was a wrongness in the air, it was faint, and somehow Felix felt it worse than the pokémon. He looked up at the roof nervously and knew he was only feeling the edges of whatever was wrong.

He shivered and tried to call for Shira. Little more than a coarse croak came out.

"Pika… haha."

The laughter again, closer than ever before. Felix snapped his head to the side, his pokémon already standing before him ready for battle.

There was a pikachu, the round and adorable ball of cuteness. With the previous encounter, they knew for certainty that everything about this one was wrong.

Its colours were a muted, faded, sickly yellow, its fur was coarse and there were torn off patches. It was covered in blood. Blood from the bare patches of skin as if its fur had been torn off, blood from numerous cuts to its body, possibly from the butchers knife it held.

The knife was steel silver and the little of it that was not covered in dried or stained blood glinted menacingly.

Its eyes were wide open and staring, there was no madness to its eyes, no desire for peace or relief, all they could see was steady and delighted, murderous sanity.

Its mouth was stretched wide in a saw-toothed grin, its teeth were far sharper than any pikachu should have and were stained red from the blood they had been drenched in.

"Would you love me?" The pikachu spoke, its voice low, drawn out and playful in a most disturbing way.

"What are you?" Felix choked out and the pikachu's smile faded.

"I'm so lonely," BRVR whimpered, and tears streamed down his face. "Won't you play with me?"

Despite its terrifying visage, there was a bead of pity in Felix for the pikachu and he extended his hand slightly and asked. "Can I help?"

He took a half step forward and the pikachu raised his head. Quick as a flash his expression changed back to murderous and he leaped at Felix, taking advantage of the empathy the human had. Diego, fortunately, was fast enough to tackle Felix out of the way.

The knife slashed through the empty air and the pikachu landed and Keira shouted in rage. She ran after it and charged up a Force Palm. The pikachu merely jumped away and darted off, disappearing among the gravestones, laughing all the way.

"Are you okay?" Diego licked Felix's face as he tried to blink the shock out of his system.

"Y-yes." Keira came to his side and then hugged Diego.

"Thank you." Diego licked her face as well and she pushed him off. Felix got to his feet and looked around, there was a noticeable shiver to his arms.

"W…we need to keep going," he stuttered out but then steadied his arms. "Shira is still in danger, we've got to find her before that pikachu does."

The three of them began to run and dashed among the gravestones, they chose not to go further among the graves of the second floor, as the pikachu may still be in the room.

With Diego's sharp senses keeping alert for any signs of attack, along with Felix and Keira's own assistance, they carefully made their way to the next floor.

The third floor had only three rows of gravestones, each spaced apart greatly. The feeling of wrong was even stronger and Felix was able to figure out why it felt so.

"This place," he muttered. "Something is… dirtying this place, making it…" he trailed off, unable to figure out the right word.

"Befouling?" Keira suggested, and he nodded.

"Yes, that's it. Something is befouling this place."

The two pokémon nodded. "That pikachu…" Keira muttered, and Diego nodded.

"He will not stop."

All three nodded before pausing. "Huh?" Felix looked to both pokémon who looked just as confused as he.

Dawning horror caused Felix to look up, but to his confusion it was just a pale girl in a plain, white, dress. "You shouldn't have come here," she whispered, clothes rippling in an unfelt wind.

The three of them blinked at the girl before both pokémon shivered. "That girl," Kiera moaned.

"She's not right either," whimpered Diego, hiding himself under his paws again.

The girl stepped closer and walked through the gravestones as if they weren't there. "Do not be afraid. Not of me at least," the ghost whispered, and Felix found his voice.

"What?"

The girl gave a sad smile. "Please run. He will kill you too. BRVR. BRVR will not stop. He will kill you. All of you. He will not stop. Run… run… please. You do not know what else is here…" she faded as she spoke before disappearing entirely.

"What was that?" Keira forced out. All three of them had simply frozen up in horror, fortunately nothing took this as an opportunity to attack them.

Felix unfroze and looked down at Keira, he had never seen her afraid like this before. "W-we…" he wanted to scream, to cry and run far, far, away. "We have to find Shira."

Diego and Keira looked up at him and Felix steeled himself. He took four deep breathes before giving a look of determination. "We need to find Shira."

Keira gave a mirthless chuckle and hung her head, Diego sniffed the air and gagged. "You look AND smell like you're going to be sick," he stated, and Felix gave his own sick chuckle.

"I feel like I'm going to. But we cannot abandon her."

Keira raised her head as Diego nodded. Their trainer raised a fist. "Let's do this."

They felt a mournful sigh pass through them as they stepped past the graves and tried not to think about what it could be.

The fourth floor had the most graves yet and several elevated portions that acted as pseudo-levels that housed more graves.

"SHIRA!" Felix shouted. "Where are you?" The laughter bubbled up and bounced around the floor for a minute before a knife was thrown. Felix jumped to the ground to avoid being skewered and then BRVR attacked.

"Pii…KAH!" he roared and sent a bolt of electricity at Diego. The growlithe had no way to avoid it and yelped in agony as he was shocked. Keira batted him out of the stream of electricity and gasped at the small feeling she received.

"That was overkill!" she shouted as the evil pikachu came into view. Felix got up and rushed to Diego who groaned and tried to sit up. BRVR groaned and dragged a bloody paw down his face.

"Wasn't enough?" He grinned, and cheeks sparked. "Guess I won't go easy on you."

He fell onto four legs and came at Keira with suck a burst of speed even she was unable to react. BRVR tackled her and bit her neck before giving an electrical discharge far greater than any non-homicidal pikachu would.

Keira couldn't even scream as her body convulsed and her blood felt like it boiled. BRVR released her and threw her to the side and slowly walked to grab his knife.

"The shocks never enough," he groaned as he admired the blade. "Good. This way is always more fun."

Maniacal grin back in place he rushed Keira and fell straight into a breath of flame. BRVR howled as his body open wounds were burnt before laughing.

While blazing, he continued forward and stabbed the knife down into Kiera.

He managed a tiny incision before her body disappeared into energy. Felix had returned Keira just as BRVR reached her. He gave a bestial snarl at the trainer before grinning again.

He licked his lips and Felix shivered. The pokéball containing Keira wriggled in his hand and it slipped from his grasp.

Keira materialised as BRVR rushed forward. He decided to go for her again and stabbed, Keira smacked the blade with a Force Palm and knocked it out of his hands.

Her hand was cut from the block and Keira hissed in pain. BRVR grabbed her and bit her again, on the other side of her neck than before. Just as he began to shock her, a foot connected with his head as Felix bellowed. "GET OFF HER!"

Mindful of not tearing Keira's throat open, Felix stomped BRVR and he released Keira on impulse. But he still let off an electrical discharge that electrocuted Felix along with Keira.

Diego rolled in covered in flames and knocked BRVR away from them. He hissed at them and bounded right back at them. Keira tried to hit him, but he ducked under her, Diego tried to simply claw the pikachu but missed as well. BRVR grabbed his knife but was unable to avoid Felix punting him as hard as he could.

The pikachu went flying back as Felix yelled in pain as his foot was jarred from the kick. "NOW!" he yelled. While BRVR was mid-air they sent an Ember and Reversal at the bloody pikachu, but he countered both attacks with a single Thunderbolt.

BRVR landed and sneered at them before scampering away.

The trio sighed in relief as the pikachu left again before Keira groaned. Felix knelt by her immediately as Keira held her neck, the first bite had stopped bleeding but the second had done more damage due to Felix stomping BRVR.

"Don't worry," Felix said and pulled out one of his few potions. "This will sting… probably a lot."

Keira hissed out as he sprayed the potion on her neck. This was worse damage than a normal pokémon battle where blood drawn was generally avoided. The potion needed to be used up completely for her neck's wounds to close up and disappear and Keira sighed.

"That thing is vicious," she growled and punched out several times. "I'll be ready for him next time."

Felix swallowed as he considered the reality that BRVR wouldn't stop. He thought to the ghost girl's words and frowned.

"We have to keep going," he muttered, before shouting. "SHIRA!"

His voice echoed, with no response. Felix swallowed heavily and both Keira and Diego looked grave. "Let's keep going," he muttered, and they began to make their way through level four to the fifth.

The fifth story was not quite as large as level four, but things were growing more disturbing with each level.

There was fresh blood on this floor. Not much but it was there, Diego sniffed at it and adopted a stricken look. "I… uh," he stuttered before falling silent. Keira stepped up beside him and held a paw softly on his neck.

Felix looked between the two before dread overwhelmed any hopes of denial. "No," he whispered.

Keira turned before embracing him and sobbed briefly into his shoulder, but she steadied herself. "N-no we can't believe anything wrong yet." She pulled back and dried her eyes. "This is only a little blood."

"Piikaa," the trio snapped their eyes to BRVR as he laughed. "Pikahaha," he licked the edge of the knife and his opponents all turned furious.

"You monster," Keira whispered as Diego growled.

"You are a sick mon," he announced and BRVR lowered the knife.

"Really?"

"Yes really," Felix answered. "Why are you here? What the hell are you?" the pikachu's eyes snapped to the human and he cocked his head.

"How curious you are. You understand us. You understand me. But you don't love me. And you know the name she gave me."

BRVR's gaze turned maniacal again. "She tasted better than I had imagined. I wonder how you'll taste." BRVR darted away and disappeared into the gravestones.

They kept an eye, ear and nose for any signs of his attack as no one believed he's show himself without attacking eventually.

They were right.

A thin, quick, bolt of electricity struck Felix in the back of the neck and he lost all sensation is his arms and legs, crashing to the ground.

BRVR burst forward on all fours, holding the blade knife in his jaws and drawing his own blood. Keira jumped in the way as the pikachu threw his head up, snatched the knife, and slashed it through the middle of Keira's belly.

She screamed, and blood ran, BRVR ignored her after that and continued forward, only stopping when Diego got in his way.

"You will not get by me," Diego panted trying to sound heroic. "Monsters never win."

BRVR's grin melted away into a depressed look and he eyed his knife pensively. "True," he said. "But winning isn't the point."

He blasted the growlithe with an overwhelming blast of electricity and slashed his leg as Diego fell like a stone and didn't move.

Felix had managed to force his numb limbs to move and managed to roll onto his behind, weakly supporting himself with twitching arms. He saw Diego go down but couldn't manage to cry out for his pokémon, he saw Keira further behind and the long, shallow, cut she was stifling with a paw.

Keira took a step forward, but her right leg gave out and she crashed to the ground. BRVR watched Keira through the reflection in Felix's eyes as he approached. The pikachu looked almost curious, gazing into Felix's eyes with wondrous questions.

If he was looking for an answer he seemed to find one and he looked jubilant for a moment before his expression froze in a rictus grin.

"You remind me of her," he whispered, and his eyes glinted. "Won't you love me? Won't you take my pain away?"

In this moment Felix felt nothing but hatred. This deranged creature that tried to kill him and his pokémon. "Never," he spat and BRVR raised his head.

"Oh well." He grinned. "If you won't give me your heart." He pointed the knife at Felix's chest. "Then I'll just take it."

Felix wished he could claim to have kept his eyes open, to have done something, to have remained defiant. But as BRVR leaped at him he closed his eyes, screamed, and begged that it wouldn't hurt.

…

It didn't hurt.

"Not so fast."

Felix's eyes snapped open to see the knife not three inches from his body. But it was being held back by three claws extended into a sabre of darkness. He got to his feet and staggered back.

Shira grinned at BRVR's shocked look and parted her claws slightly, allowing her to snare his knife and tear it from his grip. In the same motion she slashed out with her other paw, raking three black sabres across the deranged pikachu's face.

BRVR staggered and Shira pressed the advantage, sending Night Slashes with the fervour of a Fury Swipes attack.

"That's my trainer," she hissed, and her second paw glowed with dark energy. "No one takes what's mine."

Felix scrambled back as Shira engaged BRVR one on one. She was hurt, he could see that part of her side had been cut not unlike what happened to Keira moments ago; but she didn't seem to care and was able to beat the pikachu back, denying him access to his knife and deflecting his electrical attacks with her Night Slash's.

Finally, after delivering three brutal slashes in a row, BRVR staggered back with three shallow cuts and shook his head. Any sense of reason left his eyes and he roared most unlike a pikachu, sending a Thunderbolt far too powerful for Shira to deflect, and as it was aimed at Felix, she couldn't dodge it either.

With her Night Slash's she held as much of the electricity as she could, but there was too much power and she was blasted back, slamming into Felix in the process and knocking him back to the ground

Before BRVR could press his advantage, a dull clunk hit everyone's ears. A low sound, normally unnoticeable in the heat of battle, and yet so omnipresent it was unavoidable. The effect it had on BRVR was intense and he immediately turned tail and ran.

Shira hissed after him and then shook her head and began licking her paw. As Keira managed to stand steadily, the wound on her stomach having closed already, she made her way over to Felix and the meowth, Shira began to use her wettened paw to clean her face.

"Shira." Shira paused her bath to look at Keira as the riolu said. "You're okay."

"You're alive!" Felix caught her up in a hug and Shira squirmed slightly.

"Yes, yes I am amazing and all that. But could you please put me down," Felix set her down and went over to check on Diego as Keira bombarded the meowth with questions.

"Where did you go? How did you survive? What's going on? How did you scare him off? What-" Shira shushed her.

"Where I went was around. Something is off about this town and this tower was the worst of it. Spiritual energies, not similar to negative energy but close enough that I could pick it up. I survived because I am that awesome. I don't know what's going on, except that there is something worse up ahead. I'm guessing on the seventh and last floor. And I don't know why he ran."

Diego was barely conscious and wheezed a breath of smoke when Felix picked him up. "Diego? Thank you," he whispered and kissed the top of his head. Diego sighed and relaxed in his grip and Felix returned him to his pokéball.

Turning to catch Shira's explanation he said. "Then let's keep going."

Keira nodded for a moment before giving a start. "Huh," she gasped. "You want to keep going now that we've found Shira?"

Felix looked down at Keira and held her gaze for a moment. She remained confused for a second before slumping. "I can never tell when you are going to flip from terrified child to Mr Hero."

Felix's eyes flicked down to the other pokéball on his belt and Keira groaned. "No… no. He's crazy, even if he can understand us now, doesn't mean he'll listen."

She took a deep breath and huffed. "Weak to electricity too, and BRVR is packing a ridiculous amount."

"Ahem?" Shira coughed.

Trainer and pokémon turned to her and asked. "Yes?"

Shira turned slightly and pointed. "While I am all for getting our tails out of here safe and sound, that doesn't seem like an option anymore."

Their eyes travelled to the staircase. Or where the staircase was supposed to be.

"Oh no," Keira moaned and raced over there. "No, no, no, no, no," she repeated and felt around, there was nothing but thick and flat stone. "NO! How could this have happened?"

Felix hesitated himself. "How are we going to get out of here?" Keira glared at her trainer and barked.

"When we beat whatever's doing this." She huffed and felt around a bit more before nodding. "Something is pissing me off," she growled before rubbing her face. "There… there is no point in staying here then."

She jumped out of Felix's arms and began marching to the staircase. "Are you coming or what?" She barked, and Felix and Shira hastily joined her.

Without Diego to warn them, the new trio stepped even more carefully.

Keira muttered curses under her breath but most of them were directed towards herself and her own ineptitude. Felix was flashing back to the last time he had faced a pikachu, but Ash's friendly, if snarky, partner was nothing like BRVR.

"Step lightly," the pikachu's demented voice sang from above as the trio surfaced on level six. There were several rings of graves, each growing smaller and smaller until one lone grave was set in the middle.

BRVR stood perched on that grave and giggled when he saw them. "Things may not like all the noise."

Level six had an aura of wrongness so strong Felix threw up a little in his mouth. He couldn't imagine how badly Keira and Shira would be feeling right now.

"Why is he happy again?" Felix grumbled as Shira and Kiera readied for combat.

"Will you play a game with me?" BRVR's voice had turned back to his soft, pleading voice but he fooled no one.

"Be sent to the distortion world with you," Keira said and BRVR laughed.

"Hopefully one day."

With that he attacked.

The trio scattered, but Shira was the slowest. She wasn't hit but she could barely stagger about let alone dodge an attack aimed right for her. BRVR had her in mind from the last floor and ducked into the graves and appeared before her within a second.

"Say hi to Giratina for me," he said before stabbing. "Huh?"

Shira caught his knife again in her Night Slash attack and BRVR scowled. "No fair." He jumped back before she could deprive him of his knife again. "You are clearly feeling the effects of Him worse than the others."

Shira hissed at him, swiping with her claws. "Don't talk so much."

Felix and Keira returned, and Kiera bombarded BRVR with a Reversal. He blasted the spheres to ash with a Thunderbolt but endured the attack. BRVR leapt after her and slashed his knife though her left side, Keira managed to sidestep him enough that he didn't gut her.

BRVR spun and lashed out with the knife again, Kiera bought up her arm to save herself and was rewarded with her deepest gash yet. She ground her teeth and refused to cry out this time as Shira came to her rescue.

BRVR parried two Night Slash attacks with his knife until Shira split them into six smaller, thinner sabres, each coming out of a claw. BRVR was unable to avoid several smaller cuts and eventually shocked Shira.

He laughed as she fell back smoking. "You look surprised," he taunted and stuck out his tongue. "Did you really think you are any sort of a match for me? I am just playing until the game is over."

He looked past Shira and up to Felix, his face switching through several emotions until he settled of delighted. "Our human for the hour," he crowed and leaped at him.

Keira jumped in the way, but he just shocked her down and away. BRVR reached Felix and tackled him to the ground, Felix's leg was twisted as he fell. BRVR raised the knife to cut his neck out, Felix grabbed the pikachu's little arm in response and twisted.

BRVR gave a gasp of pain as his shoulder was dislocated and he nearly dropped his knife. Shira nearly impaled him with another Night Slash and Keira got up and blasted him away with a Force Palm.

BRVR got to his feet with a new expression, fury.

"If you think you can stop us," he taunted and waved the knife. "Come to the next floor."

With that he fled, blood marking each step he took.

The three hesitated before moving on, going back was no option and staying put would not help matters.

Felix eyed the walls, but he had seen how thick the walls of the tower were, they had to be to support the seven-story tall building.

The final floor held just three graves, one freshly dug.

Two graves stood proudly at the end, displaying a human and a pokémon, the builders of the Pokémon Tower. The one before them was crude, its tombstone was cracked and ancient, and there was a stink to the air.

Shira and Keira nearly fainted at the aura of the room but gripped each other and stayed on two feet. Felix staggered at the sheer feeling of malice in the room, it came with an actual stink, an injustice against nature.

"You're… here."

A voice, so deep, gravelly and terrifying caused the entire tower to tremble.

"I'm trapped."

The grave before them began to shift slightly and a single white finger poked out.

"And I'm lonely." The finger became a hand, which became a second hand. There were massive, white and rotting.

"So very lonely." The dirt began to rise as a figure pulled itself out of its own grave.

"Stay, won't you?"

A face that was not human. A buried body that could not be alive. Dark sunken pits ringed its dried-out eyes driven into a hairless head. Its mouth was a gaping hole with only four teeth. It was little more than skin stretched over bones.

But its voice was so powerful, so desperate, so sad that it made the trio before it, want to break down and cry. Felix almost submitted himself to it before he realised what he was doing.

His mouth worked silently, trying to speak but failing to find any words that could possibly fit such an occasion. Finally, a word found its way past his silent gasping. "Who?"

The thing cocked its head slightly, it was only half out of the grave, its thin arms shook to support it but didn't seem to be giving out. "I do not remember. Won't you help me remember?"

Felix tried to swallow, but his mouth had turned so dry there was nothing to swallow. He tasted copper and swallowed that.

"Pii-kahaha…"

Felix turned slightly to see BRVR laughing sinisterly as he stood in front of the only exit.

"Please. Won't you stay?"

The gaunt living corpse moaned and begged before them. "It's so cold here. It's been so long since I've had something warm…"

Keira was bleeding from multiple cuts to her abdomen and arms. Felix favoured on foot as the other had been twisted badly.

Diego's pokéball opened and the growlithe snarled with his hackles raised, but his whole body trembled. He was badly scorched from BRVR's earlier discharge on him and one of his legs had been cut down to the bone.

Shira yowled viciously, she was the only one mostly uninjured, claws lengthened by dark sabres longer than any Night Slash she had managed before.

BRVR giggled again and moved.

Shira turned on him and leaped to action, meeting his knife with a sabre. He tried to shock her, but Shira blasted him first with a stream of flame.

"What?" She grinned and poked her tongue out at BRVR. "I'm a team player."

Her timely Assist move allowed her to grab Diego's Flamethrower and she was rather grateful for that. BRVR did not like being burnt and gave an unholy screech as he slashed and stabbed at Shira.

Keira and Diego had taken it upon themselves to destroy the creature that raised itself from the grave. The corpse found it cute that they were trying.

He generated two more hands that floated mid-air and they both sent a dark red beam of energy at the approaching pokémon. Both were hit head on by the attack and screamed as agony tore through their bodies.

The corpse controlling the decaying white hands dropped its attack and the two stopped writhing, Diego could barely get up, so he rectified that. One hand slapped him back down onto the ground as Keira tried and failed to blast the other one.

Force Palm's and Reversal's all missed, and Keira could feet her vision growing shaky, she staggered and was hit in the back of the head by a hand.

Felix cried out for both of them, but he couldn't help. Shira screamed from behind him and was thrown with a bolt of electricity to lay next to Diego and Keira, she had a stab wound in her stomach, but the bolt of electricity had seared it shut.

"Pii-kaha…" BRVR laughed and Felix turned on the pikachu, he didn't see nor, could Keira warn him before a floating hand struck him in the back of the head and he was sent sprawling to the ground.

BRVR jumped on him and zapped him to keep him still. "Oh yes," BRVR licked his lips. "I'm sure I can have lots of fun with you."

Keira struggled to her feet as Felix began to cry. "N-no please, why are you doing this." BRVR leaned in close and bit his ear.

He enjoyed the squeak of pain and licked up the blood before hissing. "Rule Four: Anger is better than misery. Don't worry, I'll be quick."

He raised the knife.

And his screams echoed out.

BRVR had been blown off Felix by a massive bolt of energy, Keira was on her feet and trying to come forward and once BRVR began to fly, she readied her Force Palm

She struck BRVR in the back of the head with a Force Palm designed to match his current kinetic trail and stopped him mid-air. She spun and kicked BRVR with every but if power she could muster, sending another Force Palm through the palm of her foot.

He was sent flying past the corpse and smashed into the wall, creating a crater that left him limp. He didn't move.

Felix got to his feet as Keira staggered and fell. He rushed to her and caught her and lifted her up. "Keira?" he asked. She managed a smile.

"I'm good."

"I am not."

Felix quickly shielded Keira from the corpse as it glared at him. "What was that?" it asked but shook its head. "It does not matter."

It sent two hands at him and Felix squeezed Keira as he covered her with his body, she smiled and relaxed.

Three bolts of energy flew out and destroyed the two hands, with the third striking and sending the corpse out of its grave.

The rake-thin, decrepit body was far sturdier than it seemed, however, the corpse did a backflip mid-air and landed on all fours.

"WhO DarES?" it growled, voice warping in his anger.

A soft clunking sound was the only sound and the corpse looked past Felix's fallen pokémon, Felix himself and Keira to the staircase.

"It has been a while," an old voice cackled and fury that emanated from the corpse turned to fear.

"You've found me?" The corpse looked from side to side before darting to his grave. It made it in and disappeared for a second. But its shadow remained where he had been crouching.

A wider grin than even BRVR had managed stretched out before the shadow raised itself from the ground, forming a dark purple creature with two arms, two legs and a lot of body.

Felix raised his head in wonder. "A gengar," he whispered and looked back to the entranceway as a figure showed itself.

Her hair was still golden blond despite her advanced age.

A lavender dress was hung around her, with a white thrill with an opaque stone and a larger white patch on the front.

A heavy gnarled walking stick braced the woman, but with each clunk it was clear that she was still strong without it. A pokéball had been embedded into the top, from it Gengar had been summoned.

She saw Felix kneeling there and called. "If you have any sense left of you, move!"

He quickly returned his fallen growlithe and meowth and got out of her way.

Agatha cackled loudly as she walked into the centre of the room. "Quit hiding you foul creature," she crowed. "It'll do you no good."

Gengar floated to rest by her and two more pokémon appeared to circle her, a haunter and gastly chuckled deeply as the creature surfaced.

"Ah I see." It saw the two cackling prior evolutions and grimaced. "You used Mean Look to stop me from escaping."

"Again," Agatha added sharply and thumped her walking stick. "You have evaded justice for too long."

The corpses expression of fear morphed back into rage. "Justice? Where was justice when I was MURDERED!"

Agatha was unmoved by the display. "Nothing and nothing can justify you doing the same. Clawing yourself back. Ending more lives. You have become far more of a monster than your murderer ever was."

The corpse flinched but didn't shrink down chastised, instead it howled an unholy cry. "I d-don't c-c-care!"

Seven hands materialised above it and it screamed, clasping them all together to form a move so foul, simply watching it form suggested every terrible thing Felix had done, every little thing he did that was wrong, all the unfortunate things that had happened to him and the pain he kept buried.

Agatha didn't even flinch.

A hand almost idly stroked the gem she wore, and it flashed. Gengar suddenly shouted out and Felix flinched from its words.

"Yes, YES. Bring me to this world," it crowed and raised its arms. Blinding light burst out before suddenly inverting, turning the very world black and white for a moment.

Gengar's limbs melted into exitance. Not nubby arms and legs, but the limbs that existed in The Other.

Two thick limbs that glowed copper red on the ends acted as arms while another at the back braced the creature. Gengar shouted in glee. "I am here!"

The corpse shot its beam but Gengar merely opened its mouth and it consumed the attack. "Heh, heh," it laughed and licked its lips. "Tasty."

The corpse backed off, but it couldn't save itself from Mega Gengar. The ghost opened its mouth and approached the corpse, mouth widening greater than its physical body and warping space. The corpse screeched as it was sucked in, clawing, begging, and trying to do anything to save itself.

Agatha simply watched with a satisfied smile as the corpse was finally sent back to where it had clawed itself out of.

The unearthly screams cut off and then there was silence.

Unlike before where silence was of fear, of pain, of knowing something terrible was happening. This silence was a relieved breath of the horror finally being over.

Gengar flashed and its body returned to its standard form and it licked its lips. Agatha nodded to it and returned Gengar to its pokéball.

She spotted the crater with BRVR in it and nodded to herself, pleased.

"H-hey!?"

Felix found his feet and his voice; the corpse being banished back to where it came had breathed the breath of life back into him and Keira recovered enough to stand herself.

Agatha turned as Felix carefully trotted up to her. "Y-your Agatha, right?"

She nodded and fixed him with a glare. "And who do you think you are? Coming here? Some local kid looking for glory, are you?" She looked him over and Felix was reminded of parents looking to adopt, scanning him like a piece of meat. "Or are you some foreign kid who doesn't know how much trouble he can get into?"

She nodded to herself and shook her head. "Get out of here kid. You shouldn't have ever come here."

Agatha turned away, but Felix found a burst of boldness. "No." Agatha turned back to him with a raised eyebrow and Felix barrelled on before she could speak. "What just happened? What was that thing? How did you know it? And, and… I… I." tears welled up and Felix sagged, relieved that he was finally safe.

Agatha sniffed derisively, she had no patience for children particularly weepy ones. But she considered him facing the corpse and BRVR and reconsidered.

"You have some nerve to demand anything of me," she said harshly and stomped her walking stick. "And then start bawling like a baby bonsly."

The haunter and gastly she hadn't recalled gave breathy laughs and Felix sniffed but held his head back up. "I deserve to know after what just happened."

Agatha raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to speak. Before anything could be said, a flash of yellow and a ghostly gasp of alarm caused Agatha to step back.

She snapped her head back to where BRVR had been lying and realised he wasn't there. She turned back to Felix, enraged, and yelled. "YOU BRAT! HE GOT AWAY!"

Felix flinched and held his arm, it had suddenly begun to sting. Agatha spotted red and Felix felt wetness, a long and deep gash had been cut through his arm, a parting gift from BRVR.

She clucked her tongue angrily and didn't let that stop her from ranting. "You distracted me you little inept moron." Felix clutched his arm, but Agatha was not yet done. "That monster got away. Because of YOU! Do you have any idea how hard it is to track him down? I didn't even know he was here, I was following that accursed corpse, but that creature is even WORSE! PEOPLE DON'T SURVIVE A MONSTER THAT LIKE. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE AND POKÉMON HE MAY BE ABLE TO KILL NOW THAT HE GOT AWAY!?"

Felix flinched and tried to shrink down so Agatha would stop. Keira stepped in front of him and shouted at her. "Back off lady!"

Agatha sneered down at the little riolu, even if she couldn't understand her, but Keira didn't break. She wavered but refused to let down her trainer.

Agatha rolled her eyes and stepped forward, grabbed Felix by his hair and lifted him up. Keira swore in her own tongue and grabbed Agatha's dress. She looked down as Keira said. "Let. Him. Go."

If Agatha could understand the words, or at least the meaning, wasn't clear, but she did release Felix. She snorted as he grabbed his scalp and gestured to the haunter. It retrieved some old bandages from somewhere and she snatched it up to wrap around Felix's arm.

"So, you want to know do you?" She growled and squeezed the bandage tight around his arm. "It isn't a pretty world we live in. Do you really want to know how ugly it is?"

Felix hesitated but eventually raised his head to meet Agatha's eyes. "Yes."

Agatha snorted one last time but then gave an imperceptible sigh. "Very well. I'll keep this brief. That corpse-like creature, Buried Alive is what it referred to itself as, that thing is what happens when the soul of a human dead manages to escape the spirit world."

Felix nodded slightly, and Agatha smirked. "You don't need to pretend to understand, you are a tiny, stupid, child. But maybe one day you will understand."

"Buried Alive is an interesting case. Most escaped souls are caught quickly, but he was clever and managed to do what few had ever done before. Steal someone else's soul, to take a new life of his own. But this comes at a terrible cost, it is not a true life to steal someone else's and he was reduced to THAT, constantly cold, lonely and most of all, hungry. He needed more souls, he believed, to take back true life and has caused much pain and suffering for many years."

Agatha butted her staff absentmindedly as she spoke but gave a loud thump at the end. "He is finished. Finally. You won't receive my thanks, you did nothing but get in the way and keep him distracted. Perhaps without that I would not have caught him, that infernal pikachu would have alerted him. But you will not receive my thanks."

Felix nodded. "And… BRVR?"

Agatha eyed him suspiciously. "That name does not sound unfamiliar for you to speak. Did you already know his name?"

Felix nodded. "Y-yes." He hesitated but then remembered who he was talking to. "I met a ghost. A human one. She told me that he… he would not stop."

Agatha nodded. "Yes, I understand. He has killed many humans, but his tale is a sad one."

She sighed and for once actually seemed old, leaning more heavily on her walking stick.

"BRVR was a normal pikachu once. Loved and happy with his trainer." Agatha seemed to age further as she shook her head. "Love is truly the most terrible forces this and any world could ever see."

She stared wistfully past Felix into thin air before snapping back to what she looked before. "He killed her and kills again and again and again. Humans and pokémon he has slain, yet nothing seems to satisfy him. He is truly a terror, not because he has any dark powers like that accursed corpse, or in fact anything particularly unusual for a pikachu. Except mentally, he holds nothing back and fights with that knife."

Felix clutched the bandage that mummified his arm, he couldn't feel it anymore and couldn't tell if it was the wound or the tight bandage causing him to lose feelings.

"I'm sorry," Felix managed, and Agatha laughed.

"Kak, kak, kak. You are sorry?" She asked disbelievingly. "There is no point in apologising to me. You'll need to apologise to any and all he hurts from now on, but don't expect forgiveness. The world is a brutal place and creatures like BRVR only make it worse."

She shook her head and began to walk. "Gastly. Haunter. Come to me," the ghost types swirled around her and she snapped. "Coming or what?" To Felix.

He walked down the Pokémon Tower with Agatha, silent as he thought over what he had learned. As they neared the bottom of the tower he spoke. "Is it really my fault?"

Agatha paused for a tiny moment, so short Felix couldn't be certain if she was simply feeling the weight in her bones. "No," she answered at last. "BRVR is a terrible creature, he is slippery and wily, I had already recalled Gengar. He would have escaped, as he always does."

They didn't speak for the rest of their time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BRVR belongs to Star-Byte (the creator of Pokémon Dead Channel) the Buried Alive is also a Creepypasta, don't know who that belongs too.
> 
> Part of this chapter was seen in chapter 4, Shira's segment, although as you can see there was much more to this chapter than that. This has reached the second longest chapter of this story, only the Rota chapter was longer and only by about 200 words.
> 
> So now that this is done I can begin work on the next chapter! We will return to Hoenn for one more chapter before Sinnoh will be begun! Got some fun ideas for Sinnoh I have ;)
> 
> Lastly, small spoiler, but as it was implied in the chapter… let's just say, this is not the last we shall see of BRVR.


End file.
